gim international december 2015
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I N T E R N A T I O N A L
THE GLOBAL MAGAZINE FOR GEOMATICSWWW.GIM-INTERNATIONAL.COM
Trends in Spatial Domain StandardsDeveloping a Second Edition of the Land Administration Domain Model
ISSUE 12 • VOLUME 29 • DECEMBER 2015
GEOHAZARD MANAGEMENT ON THE CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY CORRIDOR.
INTERVIEW WITH STEVEN XU, CEO, HI-TARGET .
LEAPFROGGING URBAN PROBLEMS WITH ‘SMART CITIES’.
10-12 February, Amsterdam. GIM International Summit.
Are you ready for a refreshing approach to geomatics?! www.gimsummit.com
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AN INCREDIBLE LEAP FORWARD FOR SURVEYORS
AN INCREDIBLE LEAP FORWARD FOR SURVEYORS
No
2911
Naamloos-10 1 22-10-15 10:30
CONTENTS
ADVERTISERS INDEX
3 DECEMBER 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |
Get your back-issuesin the storewww.geomares.nl/store
FEATURE PAGE 21UAS Experiences in AfricaHeat, Dust and Distrustful Locals
REPORT PAGE 28From Imagery to MapA Dedicated Photogrammetric Conference Held in Mexico
COMPANY’S VIEW PAGE 30The World’s Most Dynamic EyeOcular Robotics
News & Opinion pageEditorial 5Insider’s View 6News 7 GIM International Summit News 8Endpoint 11
International organisations page FIG 35GSDI 37ICA 39ISPRS 41
Other page Advertisers Index 3Agenda 42
INTERVIEW PAGE 12
Looking Far Beyond the HorizonGIM International Interviews Steven Xu, CEO, Hi-Target
FEATURE PAGE 17
Geohazard Management on the Canadian National Railway CorridorA Multi-sensor Approach
FEATURE PAGE 24
Trends in Spatial Domain StandardsDeveloping a Second Edition of the Land Administration Domain Model
Beijing UniStrong, www.unistrong.com 36
ComNav Technology, www.comnavtech.com 43
FOIF, www.foif.com 34
Geodesic Dome, www.geodesic-dome.biz 22
Hi-Target Surveying, www.zhdgps.com 16
KCS TraceMe, www.trace.me 38
Kolida Instrument, www.kolidainstrument.com 42
MicroSurvey, www.microsurvey.com 2
RIEGL, www.riegl.com 10
Ruide, www.ruideinstrument.com 36
Siteco, www.sitecoinf.it 40
South Surveying, www.southinstrument.com 4
Texcel, www.texcelinstrument.com
TI Asahi, www.pentaxsurveying.com/en 26
TI Linertec, www.tilinertec.com 40
Trimble Geospatial, www.trimble.com 44
Trimble Integrated, intech.trimble.com 9
On the front cover, a close-up of an area in the Po Valley, Italy, showing Pavia (centre) and the confluence of the Ticino and Po rivers. This is a subset from the first image from the Sentinel-2A satellite acquired on 27 June 2015 (just four days after launch) processed using the high-resolution infrared spectral channel. The satellite’s instruments will provide key information on crop type and health, assisting in food security activities. (Image courtesy: ESA)
REPORT PAGE 32
Leapfrogging Urban Problems with ‘Smart Cities’Preserving Well-being and Economic Growth in India
No
2913
Naamloos-1 1 22-10-15 08:55
5 DECEMBER 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |
EDITORIAL
Durk Haarsma, publishing director
Phot
ogra
phy:
Arie
Brui
nsm
a
DURK HAARSMA, PUBLISHING DIRECTOR
In this last issue of GIM International for
2015 we are once again bringing you a wide
array of feature articles stemming from all
corners of the globe. First of all, I would like to
draw your attention to this month’s interview.
Our editorial manager Wim van Wegen
interviewed Steven Xu, CEO of Hi-Target, one
of China’s fast growing companies in the fi eld
of geomatics (see page 12). Mr Xu shares
his views on developments in the Chinese
surveying market and also internationally. He
advises surveyors to adapt by moving from
front stage – day-to-day surveying in the fi eld
– to backstage: analysing, monitoring and
interpreting data. He also sees that where
surveying used to be a relatively isolated
industry, more and more combinations with
other industries are transforming the business.
Touching on the decline in growth fi gures for
China and the simultaneous shift from an
industrial to a service economy, Mr Xu paints
an exciting picture of the future.
Another glimpse of the future can be found in
the article on ‘UAS Experiences in Africa’ by
Marius Schröder on page 21 of this issue. The
author describes a survey carried out in the
African country of Benin. In scorching heat
and a terribly dusty environment, the survey
Future
PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Durk HaarsmaFINANCIAL DIRECTOR Meine van der BijlSENIOR EDITOR Dr Ir. Mathias LemmensCONTRIBUTING EDITORS Dr Ir. Christiaan Lemmen, Dr Rohan Bennett, Martin Kodde MSc, Ir. Danbi J. Lee, Frédérique Coumans, Ir. Sabine de MillianoEDITORIAL MANAGER Wim van WegenCOPY-EDITOR Lynn Radford, Englishproof.nlEDITORIAL BOARD Dr Ir. Paul van Asperen, Dr Bharat LohaniACCOUNT MANAGER Sybout WijmaMARKETING ASSISTANT Trea FledderusCIRCULATION MANAGER Adrian HollandDESIGN VRHL Content en Creatie, Alphen aan den Rijn, www.vrhl.nl
REGIONAL CORRESPONDENTSUlrich Boes (Bulgaria), Prof. Dr Alper Çabuk (Turkey), Papa Oumar Dieye (Niger), Dr Olajide Kufoniyi (Nigeria), Dr Dmitry Kurtener (Russia), Dr Jonathan Li (Canada), Dr Carlos Lopez (Uruguay), Dr B. Babu Madhavan (Japan), Dr Wilber Ottichilo (Kenya), Dr Carl Reed (USA), Dr Aniruddha Roy (India), Prof. Dr Heinz Rüther (South Africa), Dr Tania Maria Sausen (Brazil)
GIM INTERNATIONALGIM Inter na tion al, the global mag a zine for geo mat ics, is pub lished each month by Geomares Publishing. The mag azine and related e-newsletter pro vide top i cal over views and ac cu rate ly presents the lat est news in geo mat ics, all around the world. GIM Inter na tion al is or ien tat ed towards a pro fes sion al and man a ge ri al read er ship, those lead ing de ci sion mak ing, and has a world wide cir cu la tion.
PAID SUBSCRIPTIONS GIM International is available monthly on a subscription basis. The annual subscription rate for GIM International is €140 within the European Union, and €200 for non-European countries. Subscription can commence at any time, by arrangement via our website or by contacting Abonnementenland, a Dutch subscription administration company. Subscriptions are automatically renewed upon expiry, unless Abonnementenland receives written notification of cancellation at least 60 days before expiry date. Prices and conditions may be subject to change. For multi-year subscription rates or information on current paid subscriptions, contact Abonnementenland, Postbus 20, 1910 AA Uitgeest, Netherlands+31 (0)251-257926 (09.00-17.00 hrs, UTC +1)[email protected].
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No ma te ri al may be re pro duced in whole or in part with out writ ten per mis sion of Geomares Publishing.Copy right © 2015, Geomares Publishing, The Neth er lands All rights re served. ISSN 1566-9076
on the savannah using a UAS shows that –
despite those circumstances being hazardous
for the sensitive sensors on the unmanned
aerial vehicle – larger areas can be surveyed
faster. A cadastral plan was subsequently
prepared, delineating property boundaries on
the imagery material acquired by the UAS.
With respect to securing tenure rights, this
is a perfect example of fi t-for-purpose land
administration that could be applied in lots of
places in the near future.
Contributing editor Fréderique Coumans
explores the topical issue of urbanisation in
her article on ‘Leapfrogging Urban Problems
with Smart Cities’ on page 32. She focuses
on India where, in 15 years’ time, 600 million
citizens will live in cities (compared to 350
million today). In anticipation of that major
shift, the Indian government is thinking about
ways to smooth the process and design ‘smart
cities’ for the future. Spatial information is
the foundation of all planned activities and
informed decision-making in knowledge-based
and policy-driven smart cities – from a city-
planning perspective to services offered to the
citizens. Therefore, a spatial data infrastructure
(SDI) must be the platform for spatial data
creation, exchange and use. India’s national
government intends to support 100 cities
in their transformation into ‘smart’ and has
launched a competition to fi nd suitable
candidate cities.
It is good to see that there’s still so much
future in geomatics that almost every article in
this issue holds a promise for the application of
geoinformation for the betterment of citizens’
lives all over the world. As we’re now on the
brink of a new year, I promise you that we will
continue to bring you similar stories in 2016
and beyond!
NEWS INSIDER’S VIEW
66 | INTERNATIONAL | DECEMBER 2015
EABThe Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) of GIM International consists of profes sionals who, each in their discipline and with an independent view, assist the editorial board by making recommen dations on potential authors and specific topics. The EAB is served on a non- committal basis for two years.
PROF ORHAN ALTANIstanbul Technical University, Turkey
PROF DEREN LIWuhan University, China
MR SANTIAGO BORREROPast Secretary-General of Pan American Institute of Geography and History (PAIGH), Mexico
PROF STIG ENEMARKHonorary President, FIG, Denmark
DR ANDREW U FRANK Head, Institute for Geoinformation, Vienna University of Technology, Austria
DR AYMAN HABIB, PENGProfessor and Head, Department of Geomatics Engineering, University of Calgary, Canada
DR GABOR REMETEY-FÜLÖPPPast Secretary-General, Hungarian Association for Geo-information (HUNAGI), Hungary
PROF PAUL VAN DER MOLENTwente University, The Netherlands
PROF DR IR MARTIEN MOLENAARTwente University, The Netherlands
MR JOSEPH BETITSenior Land Surveyor, Dewberry, USA
PROF SHUNJI MURAIInstitute Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Japan
PROF DAVID RHINDret. Vice-Chancellor, The City University, UK
PROF DR HEINZ RÜTHER Chairman Financial Commission ISPRS, University of Cape Town, Department of Geomatics, South Africa
MR FRANÇOIS SALGÉSecretary-general, CNIG (National Council for Geographic Information), France
PROF DR TONI SCHENKProfessor, The Ohio State University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, USA
PROF JOHN C TRINDERFirst Vice-President ISPRS, School of Surveying and SIS, The University of New South Wales, Australia
MR ROBIN MCLARENDirector, Know Edge Ltd, United Kingdom
Facing the Post-2015 Global Agenda
The current global agenda as set by the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is
due to expire at the end of this year. Designed
to reduce poverty and improve the lives of
poor people, this agenda has served the world
well as a focal point for governments. The
progress in meeting the goals has been
monitored and published yearly as a global
incentive. For example, the 2014 progress
report shows that the extreme poverty rate
has been halved. Hence, Goal 1 has been
met at a global scale, albeit with huge regional
deviations. For example, the Sub-Saharan
Africa region is lagging far behind.
The MDGs are now being replaced by the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a
new, universal set of 17 goals and 169 targets
that UN member states are committed to use
to frame their agenda and policies over the
next 15 years. The goals are action-oriented,
global in nature and universally applicable.
Targets are defined as aspirational global
targets, with each government setting its own
national targets guided by the global level of
ambition but taking into account national
circumstances. The goals and targets
integrate economic, social and environmental
aspects and recognise their interlinkages in
achieving sustainable development in all its
dimensions.
While the MDGs did not mention land
directly, the new SDGs include six goals with
a significant land component. In Goal 1, for
example, which calls for ending poverty in all
its forms everywhere, Target 4 states that by
2030 all men and women will have equal
rights to ownership and control over land and
other forms of property. Similarly the land
component is clearly referred to in Goal 2 on
ending hunger, Goal 5 on gender equity, Goal
11 on sustainable cities, Goal 15 on life on
land, and Goal 16 on peace, justice and
strong institutions.
These goals and targets will never be
achieved without good land governance and
well-functioning, countrywide land adminis-
tration systems. Land governance and
administration is basically about people – it is
about the relationship between people and
land and about the policies, institutions and
regulations that govern this relationship.
Against this backdrop there is a strong
requirement for basic and fit-for-purpose land
administration systems in developing
countries, where often less than 10 percent
of the land is included in the formal systems.
There is a need for reliable and robust data
for devising appropriate policies and interven-
tions for the achievement of the SDGs and for
holding governments and the international
community accountable through monitoring
and assessment. This calls for a ‘data
revolution’ for sustainable development to
empower people with information on the
progress towards meeting the targets.
The continuing challenge will be innovation in
the mindset of land professionals to cope
with new, integrated approaches and a
demand for interaction across generations of
land professionals to ensure implementation
of a holistic approach to sustainable devel-
opment over time.
PROF STIG ENEMARK, HONORARY PRESIDENT, FIG, DENMARK
Stig Enemark.
NEWS
Most shared during the last month from www.gim-international.com
7 DECEMBER 2015 | INTERNATIONAL | 7
No
2915
1. Lidar Scanning by Helicopter in the USA - http://bit.ly/1I11h2R
2. How Big is Global Insecurity of Tenure? - http://bit.ly/1I11iDY
3. Mapping Liquid Water on Mars - http://bit.ly/1k9lF7f
4. Sweden Excels in Public Use of 3D in Smart City Applications - http://bit.ly/1VAUtd3
5. Aerial Mapping Project on Impact of Vegetation on Electricity Network - http://bit.ly/1k9kNiX
MIDAR-H system.
Leica Extends Deformation Monitoring SolutionLeica Geosystems has announced two new
additions to its deformation monitoring solution,
Leica GeoMoS: GeoMoS AnyData and GeoMoS API.
Since it enables powerful sensor data fusion from
applications such as air or water quality monitoring
and construction or building management, users
can now create comprehensible visualisations and
customisable reports. With GeoMoS AnyData and
GeoMoS API, multiple open interface standards are
accessible to provide more information to projects
than just classic geodetic monitoring applications.
As a result, Leica Geosystems presents the GeoMoS
software as a more fl exible and open solution,
capable of automatically acquiring, processing and
distributing intelligent information locally or via the
internet in real time.
http://bit.ly/1kqYC8u
Lead’Air Launches New Aerial Lidar PlatformLead’Air, manufacturer of Track’Air aerial survey products, has
announced the availability of one of its newest products, the
MIDAR-H. The MIDAR-H is a newly designed aerial platform for
concurrent capture of Lidar point cloud data and tri-view imagery
for corridor and powerline mapping applications. Particularly
adapted to low-level fl ight, the system is capable of delivering up to 300 megapixels per second
of 0.25-inch (0.6cm) GSD colour imagery. Coupled with the RIEGL VUX-1LR capturing an
effective measurement rate of up to 750,000 measurements per second, the MIDAR-H
captures a complete view of the corridor from both forward and back views in a single pass.
http://bit.ly/1kqYGoR
GIM INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT NEWS
88 | INTERNATIONAL | DECEMBER 2015
The list of speakers further includes Daniel
Steudler of the Swiss Federal Offi ce of
Topography (swisstopo), Vanessa Watson of
the African Center for Cities, Joyeeta Gupta
of the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water
Education, Pier Vellinga, professor of climate
change at Wageningen University and at
the VU University Amsterdam, and Geert
Bouckaert, president of the International
Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS).
Three interactive daysThe input from the keynotes and the
outcomes of the interactive workshops will be
summarised in the GIM International Summit
Declaration, which will be offi cially signed
and subsequently submitted to high-level and
global policymaking institutes. With speakers
and presenters from outside the traditional
geomatics world, all of whom are true experts
in their own fi eld, the conference committee
aims to create a closer link between society’s
needs and geospatial solutions.
The workshop programme is taking shape,
with topics that are well connected with the
keynotes. For example, one workshop will
be hosted by Pierre-Philippe Mathieu, Earth
Observation Applications Engineer in the
Earth Observation Science & Applications
Department of the European Space Agency.
Mathieu and the workshop participants will
explore together how data – in particular from
Copernicus satellites – can support climate
science, adaptation, mitigation and disaster
risk management. In another workshop, Prof
Arnold Bregt of the Wageningen University
and Amsterdam Institute for Advanced
Metropolitan Solutions will encourage and
inspire delegates to join him in exploring
the future role of geoinformation from
the perspective of urban planning and
in identifying gaps in the current state of
technology.
The GIM International Summit will culminate
on Friday 12 February in the participants’
constructive thoughts and ideas being
summarised in a fi nal declaration. This
document will then be offi cially presented to
an infl uential international policymaker (whose
name will be revealed at a later date).
A Refreshing Approach to GeomaticsThe conference committee of the GIM International Summit has announced a refreshing list of inspiring and original speakers who will give a keynote at the inaugural edition of the event. Among the confi rmed speakers is Hans Rosling, world’s most famous statistician and one of the most infl uential public speakers on global change. Other top speakers are Ed Parsons, geospatial technologist of Google, and Morten Jerven, the author of Poor Numbers: How We Are Misled by
African Development Statistics and What to Do about It and his latest work Africa: Why Economists Get it Wrong.
Do you want to be part of the geomatics innovation? Sign up to attend the GIM International Summit at
www.gimsummit.com
Signup now!
More information on the workshops: www.gimsummit.com/programme/workshops
For a comprehensive overview of the full conference programme: www.gimsummit.com/programme
Hans Rosling. Ed Parsons.
gural edition o
NEWS
9DECEMBER 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |
MORE NEWS GIM-INTERNATIONAL.COM
No
2905
The BD935-INS module features a high
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© Copyright 2015, Trimble. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. TPC103 (10/15)
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60mm x 67mm
3D Interactive Maps to Help Cities Visualise the Future
OGC and ASPRS to Collaborate on Geospatial StandardsThe Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) and
the American Society for Photogrammetry and
Remote Sensing (ASPRS) have agreed to
work together more closely in the application
and promotion of standards and best
practices for the location and geospatial
industries. The advancement of standards
and best practices in areas such as point
clouds benefits from the partnership of key
organisations, said Mark Reichardt, OGC’s
president and CEO, who is deeply appreci-
ative of the recently established alliance with
ASPRS. He believes that the partnership will
encourage the members of both ASPRS and
OGC to join forces in collaborative activity that
will result in benefits for the whole global
community as photogrammetry and remote
sensing grow in importance.
http://bit.ly/1kqZ1Yq
Internet of Things Partnership between Esri and MicrosoftThe Internet of Things (IoT) inspires
new ways of thinking about how we
work with and share information and
enterprises are now getting ready to
intelligently consume the IoT’s large
data streams in real time. To help with
this, Esri is working with Microsoft to
integrate location services and spatial
analytics to the Microsoft Azure IoT
Suite. The Esri and Microsoft collabo-
ration will rapidly enable IoT scenarios
by offering customers and partners a
set of highly capable platform services
as ready-to-use, preconfigured
solutions. This forthcoming integrated
offering is the next step in Microsoft’s
and Esri’s long-standing alliance to
spatially enable the enterprise.
http://bit.ly/1kqYXrF
CyberCity 3D, a smart 3D building
expert, has developed a 3D Smart
Cities mapping platform to help
municipal authorities and planners
visualise their towns and cities in
3D. Existing and future city plans,
proposed developments and
schemes can all be visualised
together with relevant data using a
simple, out-of-the-box solution, with
streaming to any web-connected
device. The CyberCity 3D Smart City
maps can be used for a host of
applications including planning,
transport, environment and tourism.
The models are fully interoperable
and will perform on most propri-
etary software applications such as
GIS and 3D design packages and
can be streamed via the web. The
live streaming uses Cesium open
architecture, a cross-platform virtual
globe designed for dynamic data
visualisation, allowing the 3D
models to be viewed on tablets,
smartphones, desktops and
laptops.
http://bit.ly/1kqYINt
3D Smart Cities.
NEWS
1010 | INTERNATIONAL | DECEMBER 2015
www.riegl.com
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No
2921
Recreating Museum Artefacts as 3D ModelsRealVisuals is bringing historical artefacts to
life with interactive 3D computer models
created from laser scanner data generated
using Pointfuse software. The Belgium-based
technology company has pioneered the use of
Pointfuse for heritage applications, scanning
and producing models of complex museum
collections including pieces from the Flax
Museum ‘Texture’ at Kortrijk in Belgium.
Working with Arithmetica, the company
behind Pointfuse, RealVisuals has created a
number of 3D models, the latest of which is of
a historic turbine recently included in the list
of best museum pieces in Flanders.
http://bit.ly/1RQgSTg
what3words Provides Three-word Address System to Esri ArcGISwhat3words has announced that it will be
providing its innovative three-word address
and location reference system to the ArcGIS
platform. what3words is an Emerging
Business Partner in the Esri Startup Program,
a three-year programme designed to empower
small companies to solve big problems with
the use of geospatial technology. what3words
is an addressing and location reference
system based on a global grid of 57 trillion
squares of 3mx3m. Each square has a unique
pre-assigned 3 word address. For example,
crayon.giants.liking is a perfect spot in the
Grand Canyon to take a picture of the Kaibab
Suspension Bridge across the Colorado River.
http://bit.ly/1kqZj1E
what3words address system.
RealVisuals scanned the historic turbine.
11DECEMBER 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |
ENDPOINT
Unmanned airborne systems (UASs) –
aircraft which fly without human pilots on
board – have soared in popularity as
surveying devices. Today they are applied in a
wide variety of 2D and 3D mapping,
inspection and monitoring tasks. A UAS is
steered wirelessly by remote control, or
follows a pre-specified air path. Whether it
flies autonomously or is controlled remotely,
the flight path is guided by a global navigation
satellite system (GNSS) coupled with an
inertial measurement unit (IMU). After flight,
the recorded GNSS and IMU data is usually
used to georeference the sensor data. The
sensors on board include RGB cameras,
near-infrared (NIR) cameras, thermal infrared
(TIR) sensors and Lidar. Some UASs allow
two or more sensors on board so that NIR
images and Lidar points can be recorded at
the same time. The rapid rise of the UAS
ensued from a once-in-a-decade conver-
gence of developments. Micro-electronics,
auto-piloting, wireless communication, super-
materials that are strong yet lightweight,
compact digital cameras, image processing
software, miniaturisation of GNSS and IMU
systems, high-charge batteries – they all
come together in a UAS. Markedly, the
progress of power capacity of high-charge
batteries is just 7% per year and, compared
to the other UAS components, the battery
notably adds to the payload. Supported by
the accomplishments in artificial intelligence
and computer vision, today’s photogram-
metric software enables high automation of
the chain from flight planning, self-calibration
of consumer-grade cameras and aero-trian-
gulation up to the creation of DEMs and
Hybrid UASorthomosaics as well as their confluence: 3D
landscape and city models.
In GIM International’s UAS Special 2014 I
grouped UASs into two broad categories: fixed
wings and multicopters. The first type uses
the uplift abilities of its wings to reduce energy
consumption and thus to stay airborne for
longer than a copter with similar dimensions.
The wings also enable high-speed flying and
the capture of larger areas per flight. A fixed
wing is thus better suited for 2D and 3D
mapping of extensive areas than a copter. So,
why use a copter? Copters are more manoeu-
vrable, they can hover and, in contrast to fixed
wings, they can take off and land in small
spaces as they can ascend and descend verti-
cally. Hence, a copter is ideally suited for
capturing single buildings and small areas. So
is the choice limited to either a fixed wing or a
copter, as my categorisation indicates? No, as
a result of recent advances I have to readjust
my grouping into two types and add a third
category: the hybrid. Aerolution, a Berlin-
based company specialising in developing
and marketing UASs for professional
purposes, has recently launched the Songbird
1400. This UAS combines the pros of both
the fixed wing and the chopper in one and the
same aircraft. Basically the aircraft is a fixed
wing but the four rotors are not mounted
rigidly on the wings; the blades can rotate
from the vertical pose, normal for a fixed wing,
to horizontal. The horizontal pose provides the
aircraft a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL)
ability as if it were a copter. With a wing span
of over 3 metres and maximum take-off
weight (MTOW) of 7.8kg the UAS can take
flight with wind speeds up to 6 Beaufort (13
m/sec) and stay in the air for over one hour,
provided that the copter facility is only used
for launch and landing. Hovering and other
copter-like manoeuvres during data capture
consume the same amount of energy as a
copter, reducing air time. Unlike other fixed
wings, the hybrid does not require a runway,
catapult or parachute. This reduces the risk of
damage to on-board sensors and other
components. The UAS can carry two sensors,
e.g. a TIR sensor and an RGB camera, simul-
taneously. During Intergeo 2015 held in
Stuttgart, Dr Hans-Peter Thamm, one of the
founders of Aerolution, provided a convincing
outdoor demonstration.
BY MATHIAS LEMMENS, SENIOR EDITOR, GIM INTERNATIONAL
ISPRS and UN-GGIM Launch National Mapping and Cadastre Agency ForumThe International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote
Sensing (ISPRS) and the United Nations Initiative on Global
Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) have
announced the First ISPRS – UN-GGIM National Mapping and
Cadastral Agency Forum. National Mapping and Cadastral
Agencies (NMCAs), many of them organised within UN-GGIM,
form a significant group of members of ISPRS, acting as the
ISPRS Ordinary Member for many countries. NMCAs play an
important role in their countries, providing geospatial data of
various levels of detail, types and scales, which form the basis
of today’s geospatial data infrastructure – an indispensable
national asset for sustainable development of the respective
country and many other applications.
http://bit.ly/1kqZFFt
eeGeo 3D mapping platform.
Global 3D Mapping Platform to Visualise Location-based Services and Interiors
eeGeo, a UK-based 3D mapping company, has
launched a geospatial meta-mapping platform which
enables organisations to build interactive mobile appli-
cations to deliver content and location-based infor-
mation. The eeGeo platform enables businesses across
a range of sectors to easily visualise complex datasets
on a geospatially accurate representation of the interior
and exterior world. The platform is disrupting the
industry by enabling customers to deliver engaging,
compelling and differentiated 3D map experiences.
http://bit.ly/1kqZyJX
12 | INTERNATIONAL | D EC E M B E R 2 015
These are exciting times in the geomatics industry. Innovative solutions are being developed, integration is the main keyword and the big players are acquiring smaller companies that add a new dimension to their portfolio. Europe, Japan and North America are traditional strongholds of geomatics, but several very ambitious companies from China are doing their utmost to catch up with the frontrunners. At Intergeo 2015 in Stuttgart, Wim van Wegen took the opportunity to meet Steven Xu, CEO of Hi-Target, who was more than happy to share his thoughts and expectations with GIM International.
market, we want to be the number one. There
is a unique opportunity since the Chinese
market is huge with enormous potential. We
are currently making great strides so things
look very promising for Hi-Target in China.
When it comes to the international market,
our ambition is to become one of the most
respected premium brands. We dream of
being mentioned in the same breath as
Trimble and Leica Geosystems. When people
think of ‘Made in China’ they traditionally
associate it with copies, low quality or even
worse. But this is clearly changing nowadays.
Many Chinese companies already have their
own core technology. But I am keen to stress
that we also believe the international market
offers a lot of potential for Chinese software.
Without linguistic and cultural barriers,
software developed by Chinese companies
will be increasingly widely used in different
countries. Therefore, we think there are great
opportunities on the horizon in the survey
industry
Which major developments do you foresee in GNSS technology, and what are the implications of these developments on the surveying profession in general and the manufacturers of receivers in particular?Future GNSS technology should be developed
to be more compatible, easier to use and
more cost-efficient. In view of the global
growth of satellites, GNSS technology should
be highly compatible with various satellite
systems. Furthermore, satellite-based
Looking Far Beyond the Horizon
Steven Xu.
GIM INTERNATIONAL INTERVIEWS STEVEN XU, CEO, HI-TARGET
Hi-Target was established in Guangzhou, China, in 1999. What were its ambitions in the early years?Hi-Target started out as a small company. The
chairman, Mr Liao Dinghai, founded the
company after he graduated from Dalian
University. Mr Liao served for a period in the
national navy as a hydrographic surveyor
before Hi-Target was founded. At that time he
had the opportunity to take part in some big
hydrographic survey projects in China but the
equipment they used for surveying was very
old and difficult to operate, even dangerous at
times. Slowly and surely Mr Liao realised it
was his ambition to manufacture more
advanced equipment on his own to change
surveying conditions in China, but it remained
a dream for a while. Then, he received a
chance to work on another big project, this
time for Nansha island exploration. The
Chinese government spent lots of money to
import GPS devices for this project. Mr Liao
was one of the first people to use GPS for
surveying. He quickly learnt how GPS devices
work, and took every opportunity to attend
industry events to help him develop advanced
surveying technology. Mr Liao established
Hi-Target in 1999. Today, Hi-Target
successfully promotes RTK production
localisation implementation and occupies the
leading status in China.
What are your present ambitions, both nationally and internationally?Now that’s what you call a big question! But I
would like to put it simply: in our domestic
INTERVIEW
13DECEMBER 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |
miniaturised. RTK and unmanned aerial
vehicles will replace total stations for general
measurement activities. Total stations are
becoming increasingly high-grade, high-
precision and advanced. They will mainly be
used for large-scale and sophisticated
engineering surveys, construction lofting,
monitoring, track surveys, etc.
How does your company keep pace with – or even stay ahead of – changing technology and societal needs, particularly in terms of R&D?Hi-Target is a company relying on
technological innovation for long-term
development. Since becoming listed,
Hi-Target has been focused on speeding up
the layout of the R&D team, promoting and
developing technology innovation constantly
with the aid of capital strength. In fact, the
annual investment in R&D is more than 11%
of our total revenue, we have more than
1,600 staff, over 30% are R&D engineers,
and over 10% of them are professors or hold
PhDs. In recent years we established several
research institutes and even overseas R&D
centres to research the international
advanced technology and achieve successful
breakthroughs in technical challenges. Now
we have already mastered the core
technology in satellite navigation, high-end
marine and 3D laser scanning industry. We
have also established a specialised R&D
team and subsidiaries for those high-end
business and launched more and more
high-end products with proprietary
intellectual property rights. Examples of such
products are multibeam echosounders, 3D
laser scanners, mobile mapping systems,
etc. In this way, Hi-Target keeps seeking
technology innovation and promoting R&D
strength to keep pace with the technological
developments and societal needs.
Another important trend is the convergence of mobile and geodetic applications. How is Hi-Target anticipating this development? Location-based services are opening up
several new market opportunities. One is that
mobile devices with different levels of
accuracy will increasingly be appearing on
the market. Another great opportunity is
based on mobile mapping systems for
street-view data. Actually the application of
location information is now becoming
ever-more important for wide usage.
Some people say that high precision is no longer the privilege of surveyors and that
today’s GNSS advances, smartphones and other low-cost equipment mean that decimetre accuracy is available to people without qualifications and specialist knowledge. What’s your reaction to this? How should the profession adapt? The key thing is to keep pace with industry
developments relating to geography and
location information services. What we
suggest is firstly apply new technology,
address the market demand with rapid
low-cost access to information, update data,
master the real measurement technology
and try to develop the highest-grade
technology possible. Secondly, in near future
the surveying and mapping operation will
become increasingly simple. The current
mode of working will be replaced by the
mode of quickly acquiring large amounts of
data. Therefore, measuring personnel should
focus more on the data processing and
application side of things rather than how to
survey in the field.
Are you working with universities to develop solutions through scientific research? Yes! We have collaborative partnerships with
Southwest Jiaotong University, Wuhan
University, Central South University, Chinese
Academy of Sciences, etc. In one example,
our Zhejiang office has cooperated with
Southwest Jiaotong University to develop a
3D technology platform for 3D pipeline
development. Zhu Qing, a professor at
Southwest Jiaotong University, and his team
are engaged in long-term research into a 3D
geographic information system and virtual
geographic environment. The R&D
cooperation between Hi-Target and
Southwest Jiaotong University is also focused
on service to develop an integrated visual
geographic information solution with mass
geographic data applications. The system will
process true 3D data, real-time input and
dynamic observations into forecasts and
warnings, facilitating optimisation and control.
There are many different manufacturers of survey equipment in China today. Western countries have seen a process of consolidation over recent decades. Is the situation similar in China? In other words, are some manufacturers looking to join forces or merge with other companies, either in China or abroad?I would say yes, the current industry in China
can be likened to what Western countries have
gone through in the past decades; China is
experiencing a process of integration. After
augmentation systems, providing signal
corrections and information about the quality,
should become ever-more convenient and
popularised so that people can get enhanced
signals in different accuracies through various
channels. It is also essential to improve
cost-efficiency in order to promote the use of
satellite navigation technology – and
especially high-precision technology – in
more industries.
In terms of the implications of these
developments on the surveying profession,
I expect high-precision GNSS surveying data
to gain in popularity. At the same time, GNSS
will be combined with other surveying
technology and information technology, such
as geographic information technology, total
stations, 3D laser, UAV and so on. The use of
mass data for surveying will lower the barriers
to market entry for high-precision data. And
for the manufacturers of receivers, the
implications are actually quite simple: there
are chances but also challenges for us. GNSS
technology will be used in other industries
and the market demands will increase rapidly.
We, the manufacturers, have to conduct
research into core technology and promote
our applications to more fields, beyond just
surveying – otherwise we may be out of the
game.
Technology and societal needs are rapidly changing. What are your thoughts on how surveyors around the world should adapt to these changes?Surveying used to be a relatively isolated
industry but it now combines with other
industries. It has become easier to enter the
market for professional surveying in the open
air, and some manual survey activities have
been replaced by unmanned aerial vehicles,
3D laser scanning, etc. However, the working
standard of data processing is higher.
Therefore, surveyors should adapt by moving
from front stage to backstage. In other words,
surveyors should learn to use high-end
equipment like unmanned aerial vehicles,
better understand the demand for industry
applications and improve their ability to
analyse data for industry solutions.
Total stations, which have now been on the market for over half a century, have evolved into sophisticated systems packed with electronics. Which developments can surveyors expect to see in the next five years? Future total stations will be loaded with
multi-sensors, highly precise, intelligent and
BY WIM VAN WEGEN, EDITORIAL MANAGER, GIM INTERNATIONAL
DECEMBER 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |
Note to media buyers: GIM International takes pride in having a BPA-audited circulation. Check www.buysafemedia.com to read why it’s a smart decision to promote your products to a qualified and quantified market of geomatics professionals. I N T E R N A T I O N A L
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
THE GLOBAL MAGAZINE FOR GEOMATICS
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BUSINESS GUIDE
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The GIM International Business Guide is the most extensive source for professionals working in geomatics. It contains a series of interviews with the key players and experts in the geomatics industry, company classified listings, extensive product and market reports, an events calendar and more. The printed edition will be published as a deluxe geomatics industry catalogue, ensuring it will be retained and consulted throughout the year.
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INTERVIEW
DECEMBER 2015 | INTERNATIONAL | 15
Note to media buyers: GIM International takes pride in having a BPA-audited circulation. Check www.buysafemedia.com to read why it’s a smart decision to promote your products to a qualified and quantified market of geomatics professionals. I N T E R N A T I O N A L
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
THE GLOBAL MAGAZINE FOR GEOMATICS
WWW.GIM-INTERNATIONAL.COM
BUSINESS GUIDE
EVENTS.
COMPANIES.
PRODUCT REPORT.
MARKET REPORT.
2016
INTERVIEWS.
The GIM International Business Guide is the most extensive source for professionals working in geomatics. It contains a series of interviews with the key players and experts in the geomatics industry, company classified listings, extensive product and market reports, an events calendar and more. The printed edition will be published as a deluxe geomatics industry catalogue, ensuring it will be retained and consulted throughout the year.
The Business Guide will be sent to readers of GIM International along with the January 2016 issue of the magazine. The Business Guide will further be distributed at key trade shows worldwide over the course of the year. Signing up to advertise in the Business Guide will give you maximum exposure for your company.
Advertising package
Regular package € 1,790• ½-page full-colour print ad• Classified listing in print edition (logo, company description,
contact details)• Company profile in online directory at www.gim-international.com
Upgrade to a 1/1-page ad for € 500 extra
Prices are in EUR and excluding VAT if applicable. Pricing for premium positions on request.
For more information about advertising options please contact:Sybout Wijma, account manager [email protected].
With questions about editorial opportunities, feel free to contact Wim van Wegen, editorial manager: [email protected]
Example of new company profile
on gim-international.com
Sign up now for the GIM International Business Guide 2016!
The GIM International Business Guide is standard reference material for geomatics professionals worldwide. More than 30,000 members of the GIM International community will receive a copy (print or digital) of the Business Guide.
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becoming listed on the stock market in 2011,
Hi-Target merged with many businesses to
expand its product lines and research
abilities, such as 3D laser, indoor positioning,
total stations and ocean survey. Today, we’re
also interested in cooperating with research
centres and universities abroad, perhaps
even merging with a research team.
Your company operates worldwide. What is your business model in terms of dealer and service networks around the globe?Yes, we are active worldwide. We mainly
export surveying devices through our
authorised dealers in the various countries
around the world. Hi-Target currently has
more than 100 dealers in 70 countries. To
improve our after-sales service, we have set
up a maintenance centre in Hong Kong to
provide services for Southeast Asian
countries, and in Europe we have just
opened a Czech maintenance centre. At the
end of this year, we will launch a
maintenance centre in America to provide
better services for customers in both North
and South America.
What type of company will Hi-Target become over the next five years in terms of products, services and customer base?Over the next five years, Hi-Target will evolve
and specialise in devices, system integration,
data services and suchlike, providing what
we call “comprehensive industry solutions”
including product hardware, industry
application software and support services.
Examples are entire and various solutions
from devices to services for 3D laser
scanning, high-end sounding and positioning
marine applications, and BDS applications
for precision agriculture, etc.
China’s economic growth is diminishing. How will that affect the geomatics industry in China?Our country’s economic development is
transforming and upgrading from an
extensive high-speed model into a quality
service model. Urban construction has
declined compared with previous decades
but the standard of living is improving so
people gradually need better quality and
services. Companies with a single, laggard
product may be feeling considerable
pressure, but at Hi-Target we have our own
R&D team and comprehensive product lines
and we provide system integration solutions
and services, so for us there are more
chances than challenges. Extra competition
will stimulate development of the whole
industry, just as it has in Western economies.
Looking ahead at the geomatics industry in general, do you foresee any ‘rising stars’ that will significantly change the industry, like UAVs have done over the past five years?To discuss the future of the geomatics
industry, we must consider its development
in conjunction with other related technologies
such as geographic information technology.
With the emergence of new technology,
people can now get more rich geographic
information to meet their demands for
geomatics-based industry applications. As
we all know, UAVs, 3D laser scanning,
oblique photogrammetric and remote sensing
technology are being widely used and are
changing the traditional geomatics approach
from small-range to large-range surveying,
from earth to air and from single pieces of
equipment to efficient, integrated systems
which greatly improve the speed and
efficiency of measurements.
I expect satellite technology to be a new
rising star since small-satellite and high-
resolution remote sensing technologies are
rapidly maturing. As launching costs drop,
they will soon become very important tools
for highly efficient data acquisition. All these
advanced technologies are making outside
field work much more convenient. People
can obtain basic data more easily and also
with better quality, so the focus of
development and competition should be on
the interior workflow and data processing
ability. I think these aspects will be
increasingly important in the industry’s future
development.
Steven Xu Steven Xu is CEO of Hi-Target Surveying Instrument. He graduated from Wuhan University, Surveying and Mapping Institute, having mastered the basic theory and key technology of geodesy, engineering surveying, satellite positioning and navigation. With more than 15 years’ experience in GNSS, GIS, 3D laser scanning, and marine technology research, Steven Xu remains committed to the satellite navigation and positioning industry. Steven Xu also serves as director of the Chinese national satellite positioning technology association, director of Wuhan University’s Surveying and Mapping Institute (Guangdong alumni branch) and director of the Chinese national instrument industry association (surveying and mapping instruments branch).
Hi-Target headquarters in Guangzhou, China.
AcknowledgementWith thanks to Mathias Lemmens for question development.
No 2818
2818.indd 1 12-06-15 09:29
FEATURE
DECEMBER 2015 | INTERNATIONAL | 17
Managing geohazard risks is challenging
due to complex slope topography, limited
access to remote sites, the large number
of geohazard sites and the length of the
corridor. Since 2012, in addition to track-level
and aerial inspections, a series of high-
resolution gigapixel images – from terrestrial
laser scanning (TLS), aerial laser scanning
(ALS), ground-based photogrammetry
and oblique aerial photogrammetry (from
helicopter and unmanned aerial vehicle
(UAV) platforms) – has been collected at
known geohazard locations. This effort is
part of the Railway Ground Hazard Research
Program, a collaborative project between
industry, government and universities [1] to
identify and characterise geohazards, assess
susceptibility and assist in the prioritisation of
mitigation works.
ROCKSLIDE ALONG THE RAILWAY LINE On 9 February 2015, a rockslide occurred
along the CN rail line passing Seton Lake
between Lillooet and Pemberton, BC. In
places the railway follows the shoreline of
Seton Lake, adjacent to steep rock cliffs. The
run-out of the rock slope failure blocked the
tracks and exposed an overhanging, unstable
rock wedge. Consequently, the railway line
In Western Canada, substantial lengths of the transportation corridors are located within steep mountainous terrain and deeply incised river valleys. This is also the case for the Canadian National (CN) rail lines, which traverse the Rocky Mountain, the Cascade and Coastal ranges from Edmonton, Alberta, to the ports of Vancouver, British Columbia (BC). Along this corridor the railway infrastructure is exposed to various slope geohazards including landslides, debris slides and rockfalls, all of which are problematic for the safe and efficient operation of the railway. In a recent case of rock slope failure along the CN rail line in BC, a multi-sensor approach was undertaken to identify other potential threats in the area, to monitor stability of the rock slope during remediation work and to aid in the planning of rock scaling and blasting.
was closed as the risk to railway operations
was too high. Initial remediation work
consisted of bolting a portion of the unstable
rock wedge and scaling of loose material.
During this initial work, displacement and
cracking of the rock wedge was observed,
prompting the collection of 3D data to aid
the remediation work and for slope stability
assessment. Starting on 23 February 2015,
a three-week drill and blast programme was
undertaken to remove the unstable rock
wedge (Figure 1).
Geohazard Management on the Canadian National Railway Corridor
A MULTI-SENSOR APPROACH
Figure 1, CN railway line at Seton Lake, British Columbia. On 9 February 2015 a rockslide occurred, exposing an overhanging, unstable rock wedge.
BY RYAN KROMER, JEAN HUTCHINSON, MATT LATO AND TOM EDWARDS, CANADA
| INTERNATIONAL | D EC E M B E R 2 0151818 DECEMBER 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |18
photogrammetric model allowed for better
characterisation of the rock mass by reducing
occlusion bias and provided a detailed
photorealistic model of the slope surface
surrounding the failure source zone.
TLS AND TOTAL STATION, PHOTO MONITORING Monitoring with TLS commenced on
23 February 2015 using an Optech Ilris
enhanced-range laser scanner at a frequency
of 2 to 5 scans per day. Data was collected
from two survey stations, one located 300m
away from the rock slope at a bend in the track
and the other across the lake, directly opposite
the failure, at a distance of 1,000m.
TLS has the benefit of collecting millions of
data points on the slope surface in a short
period of time and can be used to detect 3D
displacements when sequential datasets are
compared. However, on average, it is limited
to centimetre-range accuracy. For this reason
a total station was used to monitor a single
prism located at the base of the wedge with
millimetre accuracy. Photographic modelling
using high-resolution images was conducted
twice per day for the purpose of monitoring the
development of new surface cracks.
Collection and multi-temporal comparison of
the TLS data provided a high-resolution point
cloud of the failure area. When combined
with the photogrammetric model, the data
permitted the calculation of the volume of
unstable rock to be removed. Sequential
datasets were also analysed to monitor
slope displacements, to identify any threat
to remediation workers and to provide early
warning of rock slope deformation.
BATHYMETRIC SURVEY An initial multi-beam sonar survey of the
rock slope under the railway line to the lake
bottom was conducted on 17 February
2015. The primary purpose was to examine
the rock slope directly beneath the railway
line. Following completion of the scaling
and blasting work, a second sonar survey
was conducted on 10 March 2015 to detect
changes to the rock slope below the railway
line as a result of the remediation efforts.
The combination of surface data and sonar
data allowed changes above and below the
water level (above and below the railway line)
to be monitored. No significant deformation
was detected with either TLS or the total
station monitoring during the site remediation
programme, giving confidence that the rock
DATA COLLECTION A multi-sensor, multi-temporal remote data
collection campaign was conducted to
monitor slope displacement and stability
of the wedge during remediation work,
to estimate the volume to be removed, to
calculate the volumes of rock removed
during scaling and blasting and to assess the
rock joints and potential source zones where
future failures might occur. Data collection
consisted of an ALS survey of the region,
oblique photogrammetry from a helicopter
and boat, TLS and photographic monitoring
of the unstable wedge during remediation
work, total station monitoring of a location
on the unstable wedge and multi-beam
sonar data to map the underwater rock slope
underlying the railway (Figures 2 and 3).
ALS AND OBLIQUE PHOTOGRAMMETRY ALS data was collected from a helicopter
covering a 4km2 area along the rail line to
obtain 3D data of a large area surrounding
the rock slope failure. ALS data allows
the mapping of discontinuity surfaces
within the rock mass and identification of
hazard source zones. The georeferenced
accuracy of the ALS data in this study was
in the 10cm range: too high to be used for
monitoring slope displacements in this case.
ALS data is collected in a downward-looking
manner, meaning that vertical rock slopes are
occluded from the point cloud. To fill in the
data gaps along the vertical rock slopes, and
to obtain a photorealistic model of the slope
surrounding the failure source zone, oblique
photographs were taken from a helicopter and
a boat. A total of 1,000 photos were taken,
using a Nikon D800 camera equipped with a
35mm prime lens and camera-mounted GPS,
from parallel lines looking perpendicular at
the slope at various elevations. Photos were
taken with greater than 60% overlap between
photos and between passes, allowing for
model construction using structure-from-
motion software.
The camera-mounted GPS provided
initial georeferencing and scale, but was
later improved by fitting the constructed
photogrammetry model to the ALS data
using a scale-adjusting best-fit algorithm.
Photos collected from the boat allowed for
the construction of a more detailed model
of the area directly surrounding the failure
compared to the photos collected from
the helicopter. The combined ALS and
Figure 2, Multi-sensor data collection – TLS and total station monitoring of failure area, ALS survey of 4km2 area and helicopter and boat-based photogrammetry of the surrounding mountain.
Figure 3, Outline of data collected. The yellow star marks the failure location.
FEATURE
DECEMBER 2015 | INTERNATIONAL | 19
slope was stable. Figure 4 illustrates changes
on the rock slope above and below the railway
line as a result of the rock slide remediation
and work to rebuild the railway line.
MULTI-SENSOR APPROACH FOR RISK MANAGEMENT As shown in this case, the use of multiple
remote sensing technologies provides real-
time data in a monitoring programme. The
deployment of multiple technologies provides
the full dataset needed for slope stability
monitoring and assessment. Although ALS
can provide 3D data for a wide area, it is
downward looking and data gaps exist in
vertical (oblique) surfaces. To fill in the gaps,
photogrammetric models can be constructed
from oblique photos taken from a helicopter
or UAV. ALS and photogrammetric models
can be compared on a multi-temporal basis
providing information on slope change.
However, these technologies lack the
accuracy provided by terrestrial survey
methods such as TLS and total station
surveying. The latter techniques are required
to obtain very detailed models of slopes and
for monitoring small-scale slope deformation
to provide warning of potential failure.
A multi-sensor approach is currently being
investigated for other applications along
the CN railway line. In general, ALS has
provided data for identifying and delineating
hazards over a larger area and has recently
been used to monitor change. TLS has
been used to characterise hazards at the
slope scale, identify and monitor areas of
deformation and quantify slope change.
Photogrammetric models are constructed for
sites where TLS collection is not possible and
for rapid assessment of the extent of rock
RYAN KROMERRyan Kromer is a PhD candidate at Queen’s University, Canada, working in collaboration with the University of Lausanne,
Switzerland. Ryan previously obtained his Bachelor in Geological Engineering from Queen’s University in 2010. He has worked professionally as a project manager for various geotechnical projects including design of bridge foundations, tunnel projects and rockfall hazard assessments along transporting corridors. A primary element of his current research includes monitoring rock slopes along transportation corridors using modern remote sensing technologies.
DR JEAN HUTCHINSON Dr Hutchinson is a professor and department head for Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering at Queen’s
University. Jean obtained degrees in GeoEngineering from the University of Toronto in 1984, Geotechnical Engineering from the University of Alberta in 1988 and Rock Engineering from the University of Toronto in 1992. Her research areas include work on engineering geology risk assessment, natural hazards and landslides, mining-induced ground subsidence, underground rock support design, in-situ and remote sensing techniques for assessing ground conditions, and engineering education.
DR MATT LATODr Lato obtained a BSc in Geological Engineering (2006) and a PhD Eng in Geotechnical Engineering (2010) from
Queen’s University. He has a diverse background in the field of geotechnical applications of 3D remote sensing technologies, specifically Lidar and photogrammetry. He has been involved in projects in Canada, Europe, South America and Australia. He has worked on various projects including tunnelling (drill and blast and TBM excavation), mining (open pit and underground) and slopes along transportation corridors. His direct field of expertise is in the application of Lidar and photogrammetry for geotechnical mapping and change-detection monitoring and stability assessment.
TOM EDWARDSTom is the senior geotechnical engineer with Canadian National Railways and is the co-chairman of the Railway Ground
Hazards Research Program. He is a geological engineer from the University of Manitoba and has been with Canadian National Railways for 39 years. In the position of senior geotechnical engineer, he is currently responsible for evaluating and mitigating ground hazards affecting the railway across Western Canada.
slope failure. Further research will focus on
refining workflows, determining optimum data
collection frequency and integrating space-
borne remote sensing methods.
Figure 4, Change detection of the slope above and below water level, due to blasting on the slope and construction work on the railway line, using multi-sensor monitoring.
FURTHER READING- Lato, M. J., Hutchinson, D. J., Gauthier, D., Edwards, T. & Ondercin, M. (2014). Comparison of airborne laser scanning, terrestrial laser scanning, and terrestrial photogrammetry for mapping differential slope change in mountainous terrain. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 52(2), 129-140.- Kromer, R. A., Hutchinson, D. J., Lato, M. J., Gauthier, D. & Edwards, T. (2015). Identifying Rock Slope Failure Precursors Using LiDAR for Transportation Corridor Hazard Management. Engineering Geology.
More information [1] www.carrl.ca/RGHRP
Acknowledgements to Trevor Evans ([email protected]) for his participation in data collection at the field site.
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FEATURE
21DECEMBER 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |
BY MARIUS SCHRÖDER, SPECTAIR GROUP, GERMANY
When conducting surveys in countries near the equator, environmental conditions can be harsh. Heat, dust and humidity may disrupt sensitive equipment, while distrustful locals may obstruct the undertaking. The author shares experiences of carrying out a UAS survey on the savannah of Benin, West Africa.
UAS Experiences in Africa
HEAT, DUST AND DISTRUSTFUL LOCALS
in Benin, West Africa. Before advancing
urbanisation, this was an agricultural area.
Today, many parcels are unused and
awaiting urban development (Figure 1). The
survey was an initiative of AFC Consultants
International and carried out as a bilateral
project between the Benin Ministry
of Agriculture through the FI-ProAgri
investment and funding programme and the
German Ministry for Economic Cooperation
and Development.
SECURING RIGHTSOne of the tasks was to create a cadastral
plan delineating property boundaries to
secure the rights of peasants. The agricultural
plots are cultivated by individual peasants
and their families. The peasants do not own
the parcels but have a right to use the land
based on customary law. The land is owned
by the community the peasants form part
of. The rights are not formalised in registers
but are instead memorised by the elders and
Germany-based Spectair Group offers
multiple aerial services including video
recordings from unusual perspectives,
support services to police, firefighters
and rescue teams, inspection of industrial
plants, solar roofs and buildings, and
mapping and surveying services. In July
2014, the company was commissioned
to conduct a UAS survey to produce
orthoimages and 3D landscape models
of a peri-urban savannah area of 20km2
Figure 1, Peri-urban savannah area in Benin.
Figure 2, An indigenous peasant getting acquainted with the flying object.
DECEMBER 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |No
2922
2922_New.indd 1 10-11-15 14:30
FEATURE
DECEMBER 2015 | INTERNATIONAL | 23
MARIUS SCHRÖDERMarius Schröder received a BA in Management, Business & Administration from New College Durham in 2007 and an MA in International
Management from FH Münster in 2010. He became sales and marketing manager at Spectair Group in 2015.
Figure 4, Part of the 3D landscape model created from DSM and orthomosaics.
HEAT AND DUST ARE SEVERE THREATS FOR THE SENSITIVE DEVICES USED IN A UAS SURVEY
Figure 3, Launch of the fixed-wing UAS.
chiefs and passed down from one generation
to the next orally. Now, as urbanisation
advances, land value is steadily rising
and strangers are settling in the midst of
formerly close-knit communities. The Benin
Ministry of Agriculture set out to transfer the
peasants’ land use rights into property rights
to provide tenure security. It was decided to
delineate land use and property boundaries
on orthoimages acquired by UAS.
UASA fixed-wing UAS – wingspan 1.18m –
equipped with a 12MP Canon 220-HS
camera and a GNSS receiver was chosen
to conduct the aerial survey (Figure 2). The
weight including camera is 1.2kg and the
maximum speed is 90km/h. The battery
capacity limits the maximum time in the
air to 25 minutes. Surveys are usually
conducted with a speed of 50km/h. In other
words, during one flight, a 20km-long strip
can be captured. In case of loss of signal
from the remote control the UAS
will navigate autonomously back to the
launch site.
FURTHER READINGwww.spectair.com
SURVEYThe maximum height difference of the slightly
undulating terrain is 50m. The UAS flew
autonomously following pre-specified flight
paths. GPS initialisation before the start took
about one minute. To guarantee safe flights
and high-quality positioning, signals from at
least six GNSS satellites must be tracked.
During this survey an average of 13 GNSS
satellites were tracked. One pilot took care
of launch and landing (see Figure 3) while a
second pilot assisted during the flight. 2,000
images were captured in five flights over the
course of three days. For georeferencing
purposes, 20 ground control points were
established and measured with GNSS. The
UAS flew at a height of 250m above ground
level resulting in a ground sample distance
(GSD) of the true colour images of 2cm. Using
Agisoft Photo Scan Professional, a digital
surface model (DSM) with a grid spacing
of 4cm (although 10cm was requested by
the customer) and an orthomosaic were
created. By superimposing the orthomosaic
on the DSM, a 3D landscape model was
created (Figure 4). The vast amount of data
was stored on a 2TB hard drive, which was
secured in an external case. For taxation
purposes a soil inventory was conducted.
The entire project, from set-up of the survey
to creation of orthomosaics and the 3D
landscape model, took 10 days.
CHALLENGESThe approvals from the Ministry of Agriculture
and the military were difficult to obtain.
However, the biggest challenges were not
so much related to legal permission, custom
clearance and other regulatory issues but
instead primarily concerned the harsh
environmental conditions. Heat and dust
are severe threats for the sensitive devices
used in a UAS survey. The air temperature
reached 55oC and the remote control and
other devices reached temperatures of up to
65°C when lying in the sun. The shrink tubing
covering the suspension brackets of rudders
and ailerons had to be exchanged after every
flight as it almost melted. Furthermore, the
team faced some local resistance. Initially the
indigenous people were not cooperative as
they feared the imaging aircraft would bring
evil into their community. It took the crew a
day to convince the chiefs in the area that the
survey would actually benefit the population.
| INTERNATIONAL | D EC E M B E R 2 015 242424
The Land Administration Domain Model (LADM) facilitates the effi cient set-up of land administration and can function as the core of any land administration system. LADM is fl exible, widely applicable and functions as a central source of state-of-the-art international knowledge on this topic. LADM is of one of the fi rst spatial domain standards. Some future trends in the domain and the maintenance of the standard are presented and discussed here. These trends may be relevant for the development of a second edition of the LADM over the coming years.
The use of information and communication
technology (ICT) in society will continue
to advance and develop. The authors
expect that by the year 2025 meaningful
information exchange between different
domains or disciplines will be possible
at a global, national and local level. This
information exchange will be based on
several well-established and harmonised
domain standards, such as the LADM (see
Figure 1). The information infrastructure will
provide society with integrated and seamless
access to several data sources from different
domains. Furthermore, the information
infrastructure will provide the environment in
which these sources can be maintained in a
consistent manner.
INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTUREDomains will have links with other domains,
which require that updates take care of
consistency with related registrations.
For land administration systems, as the
cornerstone of the information infrastructure,
these links with other registrations are
numerous and include persons, buildings,
rights or topography, for example. Satellites
can monitor changes, providing information
for linking to ‘RRR-SpatialUnit’ and other
data layers (‘RRR’ stands for ‘Rights,
Restrictions and Responsibilities’). Inclusion
of land administration in global spatial data
infrastructures is under debate – among
others within the United Nations Committee
of Experts on Global Geospatial Information
Management (UN-GGIM). A characteristic
of all these registration issues is that people,
spatial objects or spatial phenomena are
important, and so too are the relationships
between them.
FOURTH DIMENSIONThe increasing complexity and fl exibility
of modern land use requires that land
administration systems will need an improved
capacity to manage spatial units in three
dimensions, i.e. not only in two dimensions as
a representation of parcels on a conventional
cadastral map. A temporal (fourth) dimension
can be integrated with the spatial dimensions,
or as separate attributes. In the long term,
for future versions of LADM, an integrated
4D registration of all objects will be the most
effective solution. The 4D integrated space/
time paradigm, as a partition of space and
time without gaps and overlaps (in space and
time), is a very generic and solid basis.
SEMANTICSThe differences in legal and other concepts,
terminology and languages which are used
in the various land administration systems
still limit the access to and understanding of
land administration data in an international
context. However, as with all other kinds of
knowledge, legal concepts of the different
countries will be formalised using semantic
web technology. These formalised semantics
are used in mapping between the concepts
and terminology from different countries,
Trends in Spatial Domain Standards
DEVELOPING A SECOND EDITION OF THE LAND ADMINISTRATION DOMAIN MODEL
Figure 1, The Land Administration Domain Model Edition I was published in 2012 (ISO 19152). Initial preparations have started for the Edition II.
FEATURE
25DECEMBER 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |
BY PETER VAN OOSTEROM AND CHRISTIAAN LEMMEN, THE NETHERLANDS
OGC’s LandInfra Standards Working Group,
with more of a focus on civil engineering
information, e.g. the planned revision of
LandXML: InfraGML (to be aligned with
LADM). 3D cadastre registration is being
tested and practised in an increasing
number of countries. For example, for
buildings (above/below/on the surface or
constructions such as tunnels and bridges)
and (utility) networks, the overlap between
LADM and InfraGML is clear (in the context
of full life-cycle support). LADM is focused
on the spatial/ legal side, which could be
complemented by civil engineering physical
(model) extensions. It is important to
reuse existing standards as a foundation
and to continue from that point to ensure
interoperability in the domain.
COMMUNITY-DRIVEN CADASTRAL MAPPINGThe currently established update procedures
are expected to be simplified in the future.
For example, to split and sell a part of a parcel
requires professionals, such as notaries,
surveyors and registrars, each performing
certain sub-tasks. Based on authenticated
identification of persons and trusted reference
material (e.g. high-resolution and up-to-date
georeferenced imagery - see Figure 2), via
web services, seller and buyer draw the new
boundaries of the split part of the parcel and
complete the transaction. Spatial units that
are not yet included can be added in this type
of infrastructure – e.g. fit-for-purpose (FFP)
approaches are facilitated. The required web
services and protocols are currently being
developed and implemented, e.g. based on
web feature transaction (WFS-T) services.
The accuracy of digital reference material
will become so high that there is no need to
perform an external survey. The reference
material can also include the 3D aspect,
e.g. in The Netherlands the completed
elevation dataset was available in 2012 with
an accuracy of 2-3cm, about 10 points per
m2, with nationwide coverage. Integration of
outdoor geoinformation with indoor spatial
information and building information modelling
is underway. The role of local authorities will
be to provide the required infrastructure and
links to other parts of the geoinformation
infrastructure and to perform quality control
and validate transactions. Community-based
cadastral mapping can be integrated into
LADM implementations by its functionalities
for source documents for spatial and
non-spatial data.
LADM DEVELOPMENTWith LADM and also its specialisation the
Social Tenure Domain Model (STDM),
information-related components of land
administration can be registered worldwide in
a standardised way. The standard focuses on
flexibility based on a variety of continuums.
This concept has several dimensions:
- it recognises that a continuum of
tenure exists in terms of social tenure
relationships, ranging from formal
ownership to occupancy, usufruct, informal
allowing users to access all information in an
unambiguous and understandable manner.
Therefore by the year 2025, thanks to these
semantic translators, ‘outsiders’ such as
foreigners – and even machines – will be able
to understand and rely on the contents of a
land administration system just as easily as
natives do.
SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLEWhen considering the complete development
life cycle of rural and in particular urban
areas, many related activities should
often also support 3D (and temporal)
representations. Not just the cadastral
registration of the 3D spatial units
associated with the correct RRRs and
parties, but also activities such as spatial
planning, designing, permitting, financing,
construction, maintenance and suchlike
should be conducted in full 3D. Furthermore,
information should be shared among the
various phase of the life cycle without too
much effort and without information losses.
Therefore, several of these activities and
their information flows need to be structurally
upgraded from 2D to 3D representations.
Because this chain of activities requires
good information flows between the various
actors, it is crucial that the meaning of this
information is well defined – an important
role for standardisation. Relevant are ISO
19152 LADM and ISO 19156 Observations
and Measurements. Also closely related
and partially overlapping is the scope of the
Figure 2, The use of high- resolution imagery will become more and more relevant in relation to land administration. (Image courtesy: Kadaster)
DECEMBER 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |
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No
2837
2837.indd 1 26-06-15 12:04
FEATURE
DECEMBER 2015 | INTERNATIONAL | 27
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+ Eyesafe laser class 1
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No
2837
2837.indd 1 26-06-15 12:04
include valuation/taxation extensions or moving
informative code list values to normative parts
of standards, possibly including semantic
technologies for more precisely defining
code list values, e.g. a semantic hierarchy.
Within the standardisation processes there
are different methods for handling these
issues/requests: the corrigendum for fixing
small mistakes, or revisions of the standard
for significant changes and extensions by the
TC211 of the ISO. In the meantime the LADM
Wiki at isoladm.org (see Figure 3) functions as
a collective memory.
CONCLUDING REMARKSIt is the vision of the authors that, as we
advance towards the year 2025, access
to land-related information will be enabled
for everybody (via the internet), creating a
‘spatially enabled society’. Many ICT-related
developments will strengthen the relationship
between land administration and other
registrations, such as building, address,
company and population registrations.
rights, customary rights, indigenous right
and nomadic rights
- in the same way, parties holding the rights
may not only be natural or legal persons,
but could be a family, tribe, community,
village or a farmers’ cooperative
- the spatial unit may not only be a 2D area
(polygon), but can also vary according to
where the rights and social relationships
apply, e.g. a point cadastre rather than a
parcel boundary or 3D volumetric parcel,
or it could be text based or photo based
- similarly, one may talk about a continuum
of data acquisition methods or
technologies that will include what could
be called a ‘continuum of accuracy’
- another dimension could be a continuum
of land recording and credit accessibility,
ranging from informal land offices in an
informal settlement to a governmental land
registry.
This is needed for implementation of FFP
approaches in land administration. For
example, the FFP approach could use
large-scale aerial or satellite imagery or aerial
photos showing how land is divided into
spatial units (parcels and plots) for specific
use and occupancy. The FFP approach
focuses on the purpose of the systems
such as providing security of tenure for all
and managing the use of all land. The land
administration system can then be upgraded
and incrementally improved over time.
MAINTENANCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF STANDARDSThe LADM standard, as introduced by ISO
towards the end of 2012, is now being used
and it is inevitable that further issues will
arise. These may range from detecting and
correcting simple textual errors or omissions
to further extension of the standard, e.g.
extension of the legal model. These could also
PETER VAN OOSTEROMPeter van Oosterom obtained his PhD from Leiden University. From 1985 to 1995 he worked at the TNO-FEL laboratory in The Hague, The
Netherlands, as a computer scientist. He is professor at Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Department OTB and head of the GIS Technology section. He is the current chair of the FIG Working Group on 3D Cadastres. He is one of the co-editors of ISO 19152.
CHRISTIAAN LEMMENChristiaan Lemmen holds a PhD from Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands. He is senior geodetic advisor at Kadaster
International and visiting scientist at ITC, University of Twente. He is chair of the FIG Commission 7 Working Group 7.1 on Fit-for-Purpose Land Administration and director of the FIG International Office of Cadastre and Land Records (OICRF). Furthermore, he is one of the co-editors of ISO 19152 and he is contributing editor for GIM International.
Figure 3, The LADM Wiki.
FURTHER READING- Enemark, S., Bell, K.C., Lemmen, C.H.J. and McLaren, R., (2014). Fit-For-Purpose Land Administration. FIG Guide. Joint FIG/World Bank Publication. FIG Publication No. 60, FIG, Copenhagen, Denmark.- ISO 19152:2012. Geographic Information – Land Administration Domain Model (LADM), Edition 1, ISO, Geneva, Switzerland.- Steudler, D. and Rajabifrad, A., (2012). Spatially Enabled Society. Joint publication of FIG-Task Force on Spatially Enabled Society in cooperation with GSDI Association and with the support of Working Group 3 of the PCGIAP. FIG Publication No. 58, Copenhagen, Denmark.- Uitermark, H.T., Van Oosterom, P.J.M., Zevenbergen, J.A. and Lemmen, C.H.J., (2010). From LADM - STDM to a spatially enabled society: a vision for 2025. World Bank Annual Conference on Land Policy and Administration, Washington DC, USA, 26-27 April 2010.
Options such as data integration will be
aligned with institutional strengthening and
development. The highlighted developments
can provide the foundation for further
development of LADM, where needed.
More information isoladm.org www.isotc211.orgwww.fig.net
DECEMBER 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |2828 | INTERNATIONAL | D EC E M B E R 2 01528
The event was organised by Racurs,
which was founded in Moscow, Russia, in
1993. The main business activities of the
company are the development of Photomod
digital photogrammetric systems (DPWs),
photogrammetric processing of airborne and
space-borne imagery, distribution of remote
sensing data in Russia and the CIS countries
and R&D in the field of remotely sensed data
processing software, hardware and methods.
PHOTOMOD LITEThe event was opened by Victor Adrov,
managing director of Racurs and one of
the four co-founders. After the opening
Prof Gottfried Konecny, Leibniz University
Hannover, Germany, discussed the UNGGIM-
ISPRS study on the status of mapping in the
world. He concluded his presentation with
the words: “Technology is easy, management
of humans is difficult”. Gabriela Alvarez
Parma from the National University San
Juan, Argentina, discussed Photomod Lite
as a photogrammetric learning tool. This free
software package has all the features of the
professional Photomod DPW but limits the size
of input data and output data, e.g. per project
a maximum of 40 images can be processed,
500 vector objects at most can be created, the
number of grid cells of a DEM is limited to 800
x 800 and the orthomosaic should not exceed
The 15th Int’l Scientific and Technical Conference From Imagery to map: digital photogrammetric technologies
was held from 26-29 October 2015 in Yucatan, Mexico, attracting 70 participants from 30 public and private organisations in 16 different countries. It was the first time on the American continent for the event, which is held in a different location each year, reflecting the area’s rising influence on the geomatics market.
50 MP. The Lite version is thus well suited
for use in small scientific and educational
projects. The software is not intended for
commercial use and there is no technical
support provided. Sandra García shared the
experiences of GeoCuba in using professional
Photomod DPW in Cuba. A total of 36 papers
were presented over two days, including one
by the author of this article on ‘Point Clouds
from Lidar and Imagery – status and trends’.
AIRBORNE MAPPINGYuri Raizman, Israel, discussed various
aerial surveys conducted around the world
using VisionMap’s A3 Edge camera system,
including two projects carried out in Russia:
3D mapping of St. Petersburg and mapping of
boreal forests (see May 2015 edition of GIM
International). He noted that Europe is clearly
the trendsetter in innovative applications
and announced that VisionMap has started
to cooperate with Cyclomedia, a mobile
mapping company based in The Netherlands.
Dmitry Chernikhovskii, director of the remote
sensing research centre for forestry, detailed
a project using VisionMap technology: a newly
developed method for forest stand inventory
using aerial stereo images acquired by the A3
camera system. The manual method relies on
the knowledge and skills of human operators
who use basic visual interpretation clues
such as colour, shape, shadow and depth
of forest canopy to identify and characterise
individual trees and groups of trees. Added
to the visual interpretation, the sizes of tree
crones and the gaps between tree crones
are measured in stereoscopic view using
Photomod. This software is also used to
delineate homogeneous tree groups as vector
objects (Figure 1).
AERIAL SURVEYS IN LATIN AMERICAWolfgang Kost, former employee of
Hansa Luftbild, gave an overview of the
equipment including Lidar systems and
cameras used by Mexico-based GeoAir.
The company’s managing director also
covered the equipment of the 8 other aerial
photogrammetric companies operating in
Mexico. The first digital aerial flight over
Mexico City was carried out in 2008 with the
Vexel UltraCamD for cadastral purposes. The
company also captured the 200km trajectory
between Mexico City and Querétaro from
the air. The resulting orthoimages form the
basis for selecting the optimal route for a
high-speed train connection between the
two cities. When selecting the route, the
environment, topography and logistics are
considered and examined. Other specular
surveys were conducted in the context of the
Panama Canal expansion project which aims
to double its capacity by 2016 (Figure 2).
One of the main problems for aerial survey
companies in Latin America are the delays
introduced by legislation and licensing.
WORLDDEMAirbus Defence and Space was represented
by Bruno Bertolini and Matthieu Besnard.
Precise elevation data is a necessity for
creating accurate geodata products. Mr
Besnard reported on status and features of the
global bare ground elevation data WorldDEM
DTM, commercially available since April 2015.
From Imagery to MapA DEDICATED PHOTOGRAMMETRIC CONFERENCE HELD IN MEXICO
Figure 1, Orthoimage, scale 1:5,000, of a forest on which homogeneous tree groups are delineated and detailed (right).
REPORTYOUR GIM-INTERNATIONAL.COM REPORT
DECEMBER 2015 | INTERNATIONAL | 29
Figure 2, Aerial image of Panama Canal, June 2010, GSD: 9cm – near infrared, true colour captured by GeoAir, Mexico.
Figure 3, WorldDEM (DSM and DTM) of Oxford, UK, and parts of the Cotswolds Hills; the heights range from 45m to 180m above sea level. (Courtesy: Airbus Defence and Space)
The digital terrain model (DTM) is derived
from WorldDEM by removing vegetation and
man-made objects using a method which
preserves characteristic terrain features such
as ridge lines and mountain crests. WorldDEM,
which is the first global, single-source, high-
precision digital surface model (DSM), is based
on data acquired by the high-resolution radar
satellites TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X. These
satellites started synchronous data acquisition
in December 2010 and had completed
coverage of the Earth’s entire land mass twice
over by mid-2013. Orbiting at an altitude of
514km, the satellites covered more complex
terrain areas with a third and fourth acquisition
campaign. To date, WorldDEM DTM covers
over 80 million km² of land mass with a relative
vertical accuracy of 2m and an absolute
vertical accuracy of 4m. The DSM will be
available for the entire land mass of the Earth
(150 million km²) within the next three years.
In addition to the raw output of interferometric
processing which contains radar artefacts and
voids, an edited DSM is available to warrant
hydrological consistency, i.e. water bodies are
flat, rivers flow from high to low and shorelines
are edited. Figure 3 shows a WorldDEM DSM
and DTM of the same area.
WORLDVIEWIlya Yudin, sales manager for Russia and
CIS regions, presented the DigitalGlobe
constellation of five operational high-
resolution satellites, four of which – GeoEye-1,
WorldView-1, WorldView-2 and WorldView-3–
have a ground sample distance (GSD) of
50cm or better. DigitalGlobe previously had six
satellites in orbit; QuickBird acquired its last
picture on 17 December 2014 and re-entered
Earth’s atmosphere on 27 January 2015 but its
archived images remain available. WorldView-3
has the same spectral characteristics as
WorldView-2 (see Table 1) but acquires the
images with a higher GSD: 31cm instead of
46cm in the panchromatic (Pan) mode and
1.24m instead of 1.85m in the multispectral
(MS) mode. All figures refer to nadir. The
yellow band makes colour appear more natural
and the additional near-infrared (NIR) band
allows discrimination between vegetation types
such as irrigated (parks) and non-irrigated
grasslands. The ultraviolet band allows better
differentiation of features in coastal zones.
Compared to WorldView-2, WorldView-3 adds 8
shortwave infrared (SWIR) bands with a GSD of
3.7m and 12 CAVIS (Clouds, Aerosols, Vapors,
Ice and Snow) bands with a GSD of 30m to
its spectral sensing abilities. The coverage
capacity of WorldView-2 is 1 million km2 per
day and for WorldView-2 this figure is 680,000
km2. In other words, the increase of GSD by a
factor 1.48 decreases the daily coverage with
by same factor. The constellation of the four
satellites with a GSD better than 50cm allows
60% of the Earth’s surface to be captured
monthly and intraday revisits of the same areas.
Table 2 provides some further specifications of
the four satellites.
CONCLUDING REMARKSThe past 15 editions of the conference have
successfully focused on providing business
BY MATHIAS LEMMENS, SENIOR EDITOR, GIM INTERNATIONAL
More information www.racurs.ru
µmPan 0.45 – 0.80MSCoastal 0.4 – 0.45Blue 0.45 – 0.51Green 0.51 – 0.58Yellow 0.585 – 0.625Red 0.63 – 0.69Red Edge 0.705 – 0.745NIR1 0.77 – 0.895NIR2 0.86 – 1.04
Feature GeoEye-1 WorldView-1 WorldView-2 WorldView-3Altitude 681km 496km 770km 620kmSpectral bands Pan + 4 MS Pan Pan + 8 MS Pan + 8 MS + 8
SWIR + 12 CAVISGSD Pan 41cm 50cm 0.46cm 0.31cmGSD MS 1.64m N/A 1.85m 1.24mSwath width 15.3km 17.7km 16.4km 13.2kmSingle-pass mono coverage (30° off-nadir)
45km x 112km
(3 strips) 111km x 112km (6 strips)
138km x 112km (8 strips)
69km x 112km (5 strips)
Single-pass stereo coverage (30° off-nadir)
15km x 112km
(1 pair) 51km x 112km (3 pairs)
63km x 112km (4 pairs)
28km x 112km (2 pairs)
Table 2, Specifications of DigitalGlobe’s four satellites with a GSD of 50cm or better.
Table 1, Spectral bands of WorldView-2 and WorldView-3.
opportunities to senior managers of public
and private organisations in an inspiring
and relaxed ambiance. Over the years,
1,500 Photomod licences have been sold to
users in 70 countries. To support continued
evolution of the event and encourage
knowledge sharing, future editions can draw
on an ever-growing pool of real-life users
who are willing and able to contribute their
experiences and ideas.
3030 | INTERNATIONAL | D EC E M B E R 2 0153030
RobotEye’s unique ability to guide light to any
sensor payload allows the sensor itself and
much of the rest of the mass normally
associated with directing the view of a sensor
to remain stationary. This means that
regardless of the size and weight of a sensor,
from 5 grams to 5 kilograms, RobotEye can
direct its view about multiple axes at
ultra-high speeds while simultaneously
maintaining excellent precision. RobotEye
has been built for all environments, and
thanks to its natural immunity to shock and
vibration it can be deployed on land, in the
air and at sea.
CEO and founder Mark Bishop explains why
RobotEye was born: “One of the most
pressing needs of modern GIS is the provision
of timely information of the highest quality.
While the RobotEye solution was initially
applied to enable timely decision-making
by a robotic platform, I soon realised it can
solve a myriad of sensing problems.” Ocular
Robotics’ family of ultra-high-performance
sensors all share the RobotEye platform and
include 3D Lidar, Vision, Thermal and
Hyperspectral.
ADAPTIVE 3D LIDAROcular Robotics’ adaptive Lidar scanners
deliver 3D information from the requested
region in space and at the desired resolution
by directing RobotEye’s view about two axes
with ultra-high speed and precision. This is
achieved through three programmable
scanning modes. The full-field scanning
mode covers 360 degrees in azimuth and
70 degrees in elevation. Bounded elevation
captures a defined band in elevation, while
region scanning allows the user to image a
rectangular region anywhere within the
scanner’s field of view. The system can
seamlessly request an on-the-fly change in
behaviour through the RobotEye C++ library
which allows a new scanning behaviour to be
fully specified in a single command. In
addition to enabling the scan mode to be
changed, all modes allow the user to adapt
on-the-fly scan rate, scan resolution, sample
rate and sample averaging. This degree of
versatility permits a mobile platform to collect
all the information it requires for obstacle
avoidance, navigation, localisation, dense
3D mapping and object manipulation using
a single 3D laser scanner. This novel
capability won Ocular Robotics’ 3D Lidar the
‘Best Next-generation Game-changer Award’
at RoboBusiness 2015.
The adaptive nature of the RobotEye Lidar
scanners has also made them the sensor of
choice for mobile mapping applications,
landing them on a number of ‘celebrity’
robots. ROVINA robots are archaeology
robots that have been built as part of a
European consortium for the exploration,
Ocular Robotics is an Australia robotics company based in Sydney which designs, develops, manufactures and markets the world’s most dynamic sensor platform: RobotEye. The simultaneous speed and precision delivered by the patented RobotEye platform enable the Ocular Robotics family of sensors to capture precisely registered data with unmatched speed. RobotEye drastically increases the operational performance, safety and efficiency of systems that rely on sensors in markets as diverse as robotics and automation, security and surveillance, aerospace and defence, mining and resources and precision agriculture.
OCULAR ROBOTICS
The World’s Most Dynamic Eye
Every month GIM International invites a company to introduce itself in these pages. The resulting article, entitled Company’s View, is subject to the usual copy editing procedures, but the publisher takes no responsibility for the content and the views expressed are not necessarily those of the magazine.
RobotEye 3D Lidar in region scanning mode.
COMPANY’S VIEW
31 DECEMBER 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |
More informationwww.ocularrobotics.com
digital preservation and visualisation of
archaeological sites which are diffi cult to
access and survey by traditional means.
Examples of such sites may include caves,
catacombs or even archaeological sites which
have become inaccessible due to confl ict.
RobotEye 3D Lidar scanners are used by
these robots for both navigation tasks and to
acquire the high-resolution 3D maps used to
build the digital models.
Another celebrity robot is FOXIRIS, developed
by Spain’s GMV and competing in the Total
ARGOS Challenge. This three-year
competition is encouraging the creation of
autonomous robots to operate on oil and gas
sites under extreme conditions. RobotEye 3D
Lidar is being used by FOXIRIS for navigation
tasks, while simultaneously enabling the robot
to identify and manipulate objects as part of
its inspection tasks.
ACTIVE VISION AND THERMALAs ‘the world’s fastest eye’, RobotEye Vision
and Thermal sensors deliver unique imaging
capabilities. The latest addition to the Vision
range is an automated rapid 360-degree
panorama capture system which has the
ability to acquire and immediately display
gigapixel panorama imagery, all in less than
one minute. RobotEye Vision and Thermal
also have the ability to track extremely
fast-moving objects or even track multiple
objects simultaneously with a single camera.
A single RobotEye not only has the capability
to replace multiple cameras within a network,
but its unique dynamic capabilities also
enable instant and detailed scrutiny of any
static or mobile object. Their stabilised variant
even makes it possible to monitor several
objects while simultaneously stabilising
on an erratically moving platform.
HYPERSPECTRALRobotEye Hyperspectral systems provide the
plug-and-play capability to transform any
single-point spectrometer into a mapping
hyperspectrometer. These hyperspectral
mapping systems couple the wide fi eld of
view and pointing precision of the RobotEye
with any commercial, off-the-shelf single-
point spectrometer to achieve rapid imaging
with both high spatial and high spectral
resolution. The majority of Hyperspectral
customers come from the mining and
precision agriculture sector and use the
systems in applications where a traditional
imaging hyperspectrometer may be
cost-prohibitive.
MULTI-ROBOTEYE FUSIONA natural consequence of collecting precisely
registered data is the ability to couple the
output of multiple RobotEyes for sensor data
fusion. “Our precision of acquisition has
enabled computationally effi cient fusion
across our entire sensor range, delivering
unparalleled depth of information to our
customers in real time,” says Dr David Wood,
CTO at Ocular Robotics. This capability is
utilised frequently by Ocular Robotics’
customers in automation, mining and
precision agriculture to drastically increase
their target detection and classifi cation.
CUSTOMERS AND MARKETSThe RobotEye family of products is currently
deployed in areas including autonomous
navigation, robotics, 3D mapping, mine
automation, situational awareness,
emergency response, port automation, critical
infrastructure and border protection. Ocular
Robotics’ commercial director Dr Ramin
Rafi ei comments on the endless RobotEye
applications: “RobotEye is a true platform
capability and the diversity of our customers
is testimony to the limitless number of
applications possible for this technology.
Now, with RobotEye as a contender for a
space-based project, the sky no longer limits
its applications.” With ambitious growth
plans, Ocular Robotics is currently expanding
its global distributor network across North
America, Asia and Europe. Ocular Robotics
also prides itself in working closely with OEM
partners and integrators to design and build
customised RobotEye solutions. “In bringing
new products to market, we are always
listening to our customers and are inspired
by them,” says Dr Rafi ei.
BY RAMIN RAFIEI, COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR, OCULAR ROBOTICS, AUSTRALIA
RobotEye 3D Lidar in bounded-elevation scanning mode. RobotEye RE05 unit mounted on a ROVINA robot for autonomous archaeological exploration.
RobotEye RE05 unit mounted on a FOXIRIS robot and taking part in the Total ARGOS Challenge.
3232 | INTERNATIONAL | D EC E M B E R 2 01532
The pace of urbanisation is so high that in
15 years’ time more than 600 million Indian
citizens will be living in cities (compared
with 350 million today). As studies of urban
population growth by The World Bank and
other agencies show, demand will increase in
fundamental humanitarian areas: water, food,
energy, infrastructure, sanitation, transport,
education, employment and housing. The
urban space must be kept liveable and
The upsurge in urban population in Indian cities will intensify societal challenges on every conceivable level. To improve the quality of life and attract investment in cities, proactive measures are now essential for government agencies. They will inevitably become increasingly dependent on (geo)ICT in order to develop and manage their assets and infrastructures more efficiently and effectively. This facilitates – and also demands – elimination of ‘silos’ within city authorities. In 2016, India’s government will select 100 municipalities to turn substantial parts of their urbanisations into ‘smart cities’.
economically sustainable and must therefore
undergo a dramatic upgrade in all segments,
not least to sustain the growth of the Indian
economy. Cities are the powerhouses of
economic growth of every nation, and India is
no different.
Nearly 31% of India’s current population
live in urban areas and generate 63% of
India’s GDP (source: Census 2011). In view
of increasing urbanisation, urban areas are
expected to house 40% of India’s population
and generate 75% of India’s GDP by 2030.
This requires comprehensive development
of the physical, institutional, social and
economic infrastructure. Working towards
smart cities is a step in the right direction.
Spatial information is the foundation of all
planned activities and informed decision-
making in knowledge-based and policy-
driven smart cities – from a city-planning
perspective to services offered to the citizens.
Therefore, a spatial data infrastructure (SDI)
must be the platform for spatial data creation,
exchange and use.
NATIONAL COMPETITIONIn 2016, the Indian central government’s
Smart City Mission will support 100 cities in
their transformation into smart cities, with a
focus on the existing ‘brownfield’ cities. (The
term ‘brownfield’ describes land previously
used for industrial purposes that has become
contaminated with hazardous waste or
pollution. Once cleaned up, such an area
can become a site for urban or commercial
development.) The Indian prime minister
launched an intra-state competition aimed
at compiling a shortlist of candidate smart
cities. Those on the shortlist will be required
to prepare their proposals for participation
Leapfrogging Urban Problems with ‘Smart Cities’
PRESERVING WELL-BEING AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN INDIA
Delhi is the world’s most polluted city; India has the dubious honour of being home to 13 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities. Each smart city proposal must include a pan-city dimension such as an intelligent traffic management system to reduce commuting times. (Courtesy: indiatransportportal.com)
REPORTYOUR GIM-INTERNATIONAL.COM REPORT
33DECEMBER 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |
management systems. Other elements
mentioned by the prime minister included
walk-to-work and cycling schemes. His smart
city is sustainable, with equal importance
placed on the preservation of the environment
and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
LIMITED SPATIAL FRAMEWORKThis government programme is good news
for the Indian IT industry in general and it
especially offers many opportunities in the
geo-ICT sector. India does not yet have an
authoritative spatial foundation framework. All
the government authorities need to organise
their infrastructural assets in such a manner
that they are ‘GIS ready’. It will be challenging
to create a single GIS data warehouse of
countless sets of available survey data, maps,
images, tabular geotagged development data,
cadastral data, etc. For instance, although
most of the private utility companies operating
in cities have their own GIS data warehouse,
the same cannot be said for the city-owned
utilities.
Furthermore the cities have not been surveyed
and mapped accurately. While many of them
have initiated a city survey for purposes such
as property tax, utilities mapping and suchlike,
this is usually neither comprehensive nor
consolidated. Another important component
involves periodically updating the information
at predefined intervals.
Every department within the city has so far
done its own mapping, so there is now a strong
need for single-source location data that can be
cross-leveraged by multiple departments. There
are already some good examples. In New Delhi,
for example, SDI has been used effectively for
sustainable development and it has received
legal support from the Delhi government in the
form of the SDI Act. A few cities, like Bangalore,
Hyderabad, Delhi and Kanpur, have a very
strong property tax management component
built on top of a robust GIS database. They have
been using this effectively for years now and
other cities are now in the process of setting up
a similar system. However, the problem is that
the GIS applications and data are maintained
for a specific problem/service and are not
available holistically for the entire city.
The biggest challenge each Indian city faces
today is the lack of the technical capacity
to plan, implement and monitor IT-driven or
embedded projects. In the creation of this
capacity, it is extremely important to understand
the lifecycle value of the projects. They should
be designed in such a way that they can be
evaluated on functional outcomes and not just
on cost. The workflow analysis should ensure
that there is no duplication of effort and that
the evaluations are a shared resource for all the
departments involved.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThanks are due to PwC India for its
contribution to this article.
in the ‘City Challenge’. Each proposal will
be expected to have details of the proposed
retrofitting (city improvement – 500 acres),
redevelopment (city renewal – 50 acres),
greenfield development (250 acres, in a
previously vacant area) or a mix thereof.
Additionally there must be a pan-city
dimension with ‘smart solutions’, such as
an intelligent traffic management system to
reduce commuting times, or a wastewater
recycling and smart metering system for better
water management in the city.
The Smart City Mission provides about USD75
million per city over five years in grants, with
a matching contribution from the respective
states in India. Hence the total funding
available per city is USD150 million over five
years. However, this is clearly not sufficient to
transform a whole city. Therefore, the smart
city projects must be developed as ‘lighthouse’
projects, i.e. as inspiring examples for the
whole city. Furthermore, cities must take a
‘smart‘ approach to their project budget and
couple the funding with other schemes such
as financing, multilateral funding or user fees.
A STEP OR TWO AHEADPrime Minister Narendra Modi defines his
own vision of urban development as one
“which is a step or two ahead of people’s
aspirations”. Of course, in view of India’s
problems – insufficient electricity and water
supply, limited affordable housing, high traffic
congestion and a high crime rate – one could
wonder whether it would not be better to
focus first on the basic infrastructure before
aspiring towards developing smart cities. But
there is also respect for the fact that, instead
of setting his mind on providing these basic
amenities, the prime minister is striving to
achieve a greater goal. He is trying to follow
the best practices from across the world
and implement them in his country. He is
convinced that designing smart cities will
also result in the basic amenities for citizens,
aided by facilities such as supervisory control
and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, GIS
mapped infrastructure, water and electricity
leakage detection systems, smart parking
and traffic management systems, solid
waste management systems and wastewater
Redevelopment in a smart city model envisages an area of more than 50 acres, with mixed land use and high ground coverage. An example is the Saifee Burhani Upliftment Project in Mumbai. Mumbai has the largest population of slum dwellers in India: 41% of the city’s 20.5 million inhabitants. (Courtesy: SBUT Office & Information Center)
IT WILL BE CHALLENGING TO CREATE A SINGLE GIS DATA WAREHOUSE OF COUNTLESS SETS OF AVAILABLE DATA
BY FRÉDÉRIQUE COUMANS, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, GIM INTERNATIONAL
No
2789
2789.indd 1 07-04-15 14:29
FIG
35DECEMBER 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |
FÉDERATION INTERNATIONALE GÉOMÈTRES
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF SURVEYORS
INTERNATIONALE VEREINIGUNG DER VERMESSUNGSINGENIEURE
PRESIDENTChryssy Potsiou, Greece
VICE PRESIDENTSBruno Razza, ItalyDiane Dumashie, United KingdomPengfei Cheng, China Rudolf Staiger, Germany
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF COMMISSION OFFICERSBrian Coutts, New Zealand
COMMISSION 1Brian Coutts, New Zealand
COMMISSION 2E.M.C. (Liza) Groenendijk, The Netherlands
COMMISSION 3Enrico Rispoli, Italy
COMMISSION 4Angela Etuonovbe, Nigeria
COMMISSION 5Volker Schwieger, Germany
COMMISSION 6Ivo Milev, Bulgaria
COMMISSION 7Gerda Schennach, Austria
COMMISSION 8Kwame Tenadu, Ghana
COMMISSION 9Liao Junping (Patrick), China
COMMISSION 10See Lian ONG, Malaysia
FIG OFFICELouise Friis-Hansen, manager
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF SURVEYORS, FIG, KALVEBOD Brygge 31-33DK-1780 Copenhagen V DenmarkTel + 45 3886 1081 Fax + 45 3886 0252Email: [email protected] Website: www.fig.net
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF SURVEYORS
Oumar Sylla, the new Land and GLTN Unit leader at UN-Habitat, addresses the 6th Partners’ Meeting of GLTN. (photo: Eric Gachoka, UN-Habitat)
More informationwww.gltn.netwww.fig.net
The 6th Partners’ Meeting of the Global Land
Tool Network (GLTN) was held at the UN Gigiri
Complex in Nairobi, Kenya, from 3-5
November 2015 and was attended by about
70 GLTN partners. FIG vice president Dr
Diane Dumashie represented FIG as GLTN
partner during this biennial event.
During a pre-conference multi-stakeholder
workshop, a fit-for-purpose (FFP) Land
Administration Guide was introduced and
discussed. The FFP approach provides a new,
innovative and pragmatic solution to land
administration. The solution is directly aligned
with country-specific needs, is affordable and
flexible to accommodate different types of
land tenure, and can be upgraded when
economic opportunities or social requirements
arise. The Guide provides structured guidance
on building the spatial, legal and institutional
frameworks in support of designing the
country-specific strategies for implementing
fit-for-purpose land administration.
The main goals of the 6th Partners’ Meeting of
GLTN were to strengthen partnership
collaboration in the network and to increase
the visibility of land and tenure security in the
ongoing global development process.
Achievements of GLTN were discussed in
alignment with strategies for implementation
of the network’s land tools at country level.
The land and tenure security issue was placed
in the context of the global development
processes: the Sustainable Development
Goals of the United Nations, the New Urban
Agenda (Habitat III) and FAO’s Voluntary
Guidelines on the responsible Governance of
Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests. The
discussions revolved around the impact of
these processes on the work of GLTN,
identified the roles and opportunities for the
partners to engage in these global processes
and proposed a way forward.
GLTN partners are grouped into five logical
clusters: bilateral organisations, international
professional bodies, international training and
research institutions, multilateral
organisations and rural and urban
international civil societies. FIG’s president
Prof Dr Chryssy Potsiou was elected as
representative for the ‘professional bodies’
cluster and will represent it in the
International Advisory Board of the GLTN.
The session on the latest thinking on GLTN
land tools was particularly dynamic. During an
interactive market-place session, a total of 13
tools were presented in great detail with an
opportunity for the partners to engage. Land
tools are practical ways to solve a problem in
land administration and management. It is a
way to put principles, policies and legislation
into effect. The term covers a wide range of
methods: from a simple checklist to use when
conducting a survey or a set of software and
accompanying protocols to a broad set of
guidelines and approaches. The emphasis is
on practicality.
Another impressive aspect of the meeting was
the visit to the Mashimoni informal settlement
where the Social Tenure Domain Model
(STDM) is implemented. STDM supports
residents in organising the community and
helps in gathering evidence in land tenure and
in the legitimacy of people-to-land relations in
litigation and negotiation. Members of the
community experience STDM as an alternative
way of managing land information which has
led to reduced conflict, for example, in cases
as double or triple selling of structures.
The 6th Partners’ Meeting of GLTN was
concluded by Oumar Sylla, the newly
appointed GLTN head, who addressed the
partners and highlighted his vision for the
network.
6th Partners’ Meeting of the Global Land Tool Network
No
2904
No
2920
GSDIGLOBAL SPATIAL DATA INFRASTRUCTURE ASSOCIATION
GSDIGlobal Spatial Data
Infrastructure Association
PRESIDENT & EXECUTIVE DIRECTORDavid Coleman, Canada
PAST PRESIDENTAbbas Rajabifard, Australia
PRESIDENT ELECTDavid Lovell, Belgium & UK
SECRETARY GENERALRoger Longhorn, Belgium
SECRETARYAl Stevens, USA
TREASUREREddie Pickle, USA
BUSINESS MANAGERMarilyn Gallant, USA
NEWS EDITORSKate Lance, USAKaren Leveloger, The Netherlands
GSDI OFFICEGSDI AssociationAttention: Marilyn Gallant, Business Manager946 Great Plain Avenue, PMB-194 Needham, MA 02492-3030, USA
www.gsdi.org
37DECEMBER 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |
The GSDI Association funds a limited number
of SDI-related research and implementation
projects each year. The latest project to be
approved for funding, from November 2015
through to the end of 2017, is the Marine/
Coastal SDI Best Practice Project led by Dr
Jade Georis-Creuseveau and Prof Dr Joep
Crompvoets. They will be assisted by GSDI
secretary-general, Roger Longhorn, who
represents GSDI on the International
Hydrographic Organization’s Marine SDI
Working Group.
MARINE/COASTAL SDIMarine/coastal spatial data infrastructures
(SDIs) facilitate sharing and use of spatial data
across a broad range of stakeholders and
environments (land and sea) by promoting
data and metadata harmonisation and services
interoperability to support integrated coastal
zone management (ICZM) and maritime spatial
planning (MSP). These issues impact on
societies and economies globally, including on
climate change. To better understand how
these SDIs are being developed, an
assessment of the worldwide developments of
existing marine and coastal geoportals of SDIs
or similar web services is required.
IDENTIFYING AND MONITORING MARINE GEOPORTALSA first international web survey of 81 national
coastal and marine geoportals was undertaken
by the project leaders in 2014 to identify
trends in development and issues. To monitor
their development, 12 characteristics were
measured for each geoportal in November
2014, March 2015 and November 2015.
In September 2015, a questionnaire was sent
to the geoportal managers to gather their
feedback about the usage of the geoportal in
terms of users (e.g. the main geoportal’s
target, the number of visitors, etc.) and in
terms of data (e.g. the most frequently
downloaded dataset, the purpose of this
dataset for the users, etc.). Based on the
preliminary results, four types of geoportals
were identified: Atlas-like, Hydrographic
Office, Oceanographic/Marine Data Centre
and Hybrid geoportals. The preliminary results
indicate that geoportals allowing access to a
wide range of data related to marine, coastal
and land territories are not commonly found.
True data harmonisation and services
GSDI Marine/Coastal SDI Best Practice Project
interoperability, the underpinning principles
for SDIs, need to be improved. Preliminary
results were presented at a Marine/Coastal
SDI Best Practice workshop held prior to the
CoastGIS 2015 Conference in Cape Town,
South Africa, in April 2015 and also at the
INSPIRE GSW 2015 Conference in Lisbon,
Portugal, in May 2015.
STRATEGIC RESEARCH AREASThe GSDI project will focus on the following
strategic areas:
• frameworks for marine and coastal
geographic data, services and
infrastructures
• use of marine and coastal geographic data,
services and infrastructures
• governance structures for management use
of the data
• comparative benchmark assessments on
marine and coastal geographic data/SDI
issues
• a repository of marine and coastal SDI good
practices
• capacity building on issues related to coastal
and marine geographic data/SDI issues.
PROJECT DELIVERABLESAll GSDI part-funded projects require a
number of concrete deliverables, which
include:
• a contribution to research on the
development of marine and coastal SDIs in
support of marine and coastal ecosystems
management, from local to global scales
• additional web surveys on various aspects
of marine and coastal geoportal
developments and issues (including global,
national and local geoportals)
• development of an assessment framework
of the marine and coastal SDIs to identify
good practices
• development of a webinar promoting
fundamental knowledge about marine and
coastal SDIs and targeting decisions-
makers, employers and researchers
• development of new content about marine
and coastal SDIs for the GSDI SDI
Cookbook wiki
• a written report about the development of
marine and coastal geoportals.
The first reports from the project are due in
April 2016, so watch this space!
Dr Jade Georis-Creuseveau is from LETG-BREST GEOMER, Plouzane, France, and Prof Dr Joep Crompvoets is from KU Leuven, Belgium. Both organisations are members of the Association.
More informationwww.gsdi.org
Research on the development of marine and coastal SDIs supports ecosystems.
No
2924
2924.indd 1 11-11-15 11:09
ICA
39DECEMBER 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |
INTERNATIONAL CARTOGRAPHIC ASSOCIATION
EXECUTIVE MEMBERSPRESIDENTMenno-Jan Kraak, Twente University, Netherlands
SECRETARY-GENERAL & TREASURERLaszlo Zentai, Eotvos University, Hungary
VICE-PRESIDENTSSara Fabrikant, University of Zurich, Switzerland
David Forrest, Glasgow University, UKPilar Sánchez-Ortiz Rodríguez, IGN, SpainMonika Sester, Leibniz University, GermanyLynn Usery, USGS, USAVít Voženílek, Palacky University, Czech RepublicLiu Yaolin, Wuhan University, China
PAST-PRESIDENTGeorg Gartner, TU Wien, Austria
EDITOR ICA NEWSIgor Drecki, University of Auckland, New Zealand
COMMISSION CHAIRSArt and [email protected]@ethz.chCartographic Heritage into the [email protected] and [email protected] in Early Warning and Crisis [email protected] Issues in Geographic Information [email protected] and Training
[email protected] and Multiple [email protected] Analysis and [email protected] for [email protected] of [email protected] Based [email protected] [email protected] Production and Geoinformation Management
[email protected] [email protected] and Graphics for Blind and Partially Sighted [email protected] and the [email protected] [email protected] Source Geospatial [email protected] [email protected] and [email protected] mapping
[email protected] [email protected]@acd.ufrj.brUbiquitous [email protected], User and Usability [email protected] [email protected]
GIM CORRESPONDENTDavid Fairbairn, Newcastle University, UK
Continuing the theme of Ordem e Progresso
(‘order and progress’) from the previous two
ICA pages in GIM International, this month’s
contribution introduces the new vice
presidents of the International Cartographic
Association, elected to serve for the
2015-2019 period. Needless to say, Ordem e
Progresso is also the motto of the place where
they were elected: Brazil.
The results of the competitive elections
showed a distinct widening of opportunity for
female cartographers as well as maintenance
of ICA’s global reach. As mentioned in last
month’s column, the new president (Kraak),
the continuing secretary-general & treasurer
(Zentai), the past-president (Gartner) and one
continuing vice-president (Liu) remain from
the 2011-2015 Executive Committee (EC).
Thus six new committee members were
elected as detailed below, each becoming a
vice-president of ICA.
Sara Fabrikant (Switzerland) boasts an
impressive international research record,
specifically in areas of cognition, and hopes
to strengthen ties between ICA and her own
country. In fact, although Switzerland was the
birthplace of ICA, it is now represented on
the EC for the first time in over 50 years. Her
strong links with the GIScience research
community will ensure ICA’s leadership in
this area is maintained.
David Forrest (United Kingdom) is based at
the University of Glasgow, one of the most
pre-eminent worldwide educational
Ordem e Progresso (3): New Faces on the Executive Committee
establishments in cartography. Having been
a regular UK delegate to ICA’s General
Assembly over many years and vice-chair
of a very active Commission on Use and User
Issues, David has long-standing experience
of ICA’s methods and business.
The election of Pilar Sánchez-Ortiz Rodríguez
(Spain) ensures that governmental mapping
activity is still recognised within the EC.
Having worked at the Spanish National
Geographic Institute (Ministry of Public Works)
since 1991, Pilar has been primarily
responsible for the National Atlas of Spain,
both in paper and digital form. Her ICA
interests have been in children’s cartography
and she has served as secretary of the
Spanish Society for Cartography,
Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing
from 2003 to date.
Monika Sester (Germany) is from another
nation which has not been represented on
the EC for many years. ICA will benefit from
her diverse research interests in cartography
and geoinformatics, especially automation in
generalisation, data integration, data
interpretation, VGI, space-time-modelling
and trajectories. From an internal ICA
perspective, she has interests in promoting
publications of all ICA activities and in
international education.
Lynn Usery (USA) has an important role as
the conference director of the next
International Cartographic Conference (ICC)
to be held in Washington DC in 2017. With a
long history of service to the US National
Committee for Cartography, Lynn has also
experienced a varying career in a number of
educational and governmental cartographic
establishments.
Last but not least Vít Voženílek, nominated
by the Cartographic Society of the Czech
Republic, is a senior academic at his home
university in the city of Olomouc. As a
member of many societies, academic boards
and editorial committees, Vít’s organisational
skills will be wisely used in the new EC.
The new president and the ICA community
as a whole anticipate expert advice and
guidance from this new team of enthusiastic
cartographers over the next four years.
More informationwww.icaci.org
(Top row) Sara Fabrikant, Lynn Usery and Pilar Rodríguez; (Bottom row) Monika Sester, David Forrest and Vít Voženílek.
No
2565
Siteco Informatica srl [email protected] www.sitecoinf.it tel +390516414470
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No
2923
ISPRS
ISPRS COUNCIL 2012 – 2016
CHEN JUNPRESIDENTNational Geomatics Centre of China
28 Lianhuachixi Road Haidian District,Beijing 100830, PR CHINA Email: [email protected]
CHRISTIAN HEIPKESECRETARY GENERALLeibniz Universität HannoverInsitut für Photogrammetrie und GeoInformation (IPI)Nienburger Str. 1,30167 Hannover, GERMANY
Email: [email protected]
ORHAN ALTAN1ST VICE PRESIDENTIstanbul Technical University Faculty of Civil EngineeringDepartment of Geomatic Engineering34469 Ayazaga-Istanbul, TURKEYEmail: [email protected]
MARGUERITE MADDEN2ND VICE PRESIDENT Center for Geospatial Research (CGR)Department of GeographyThe University of GeorgiaAthens, Georgia 30602-2305, USAEmail: [email protected]
LENA HALOUNOVACONGRESS DIRECTOR
Czech Technical UniversityFaculty of Civil EngineeringRS LaboratoryThakurova 7 166 29 Prague, CZECH REPUBLICEmail: [email protected]
JON MILLSTREASURERSchool of Civil Engineering and Geosciences
University of Newcastle Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU UNITED KINGDOMEmail: [email protected]
ISPRS HEADQUARTERSsee address of secretary general
INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND REMOTE SENSING
41 DECEMBER 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |
Women in the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing
The ISPRS Council (2012-2016).
More informationwww.isprs.org
The topic of Women in ISPRS was addressed
in 1999 by a Special Issue of the ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (Vol. 54 Issue 4), guest-edited by Dr
Marguerite Madden (USA), Dr Monika Sester
(Germany) and Dr Thelma Krug (Brazil). Its
intent was to feature research in geomatics
conducted by women and men in articles
fi rst-authored by women, in the hope of
encouraging more women to participate in
ISPRS. The Foreword of this Special Issue
explored historical involvement of women in
ISPRS and discussed gender balance in the
fi elds of photogrammetry, remote sensing and
spatial information systems. Since more than
15 years have passed since this issue was
published, it is appropriate to reassess the
status of women in ISPRS.
From a historical perspective, Ms Aino
Savolainen from Finland was one of the fi rst
women to obtain a degree in photogrammetry
in 1948. She performed topographic mapping
in the 1950s and held a position in the
Department of Photogrammetry at the
Technical University of Helsinki from 1960
until the late 1980s. She also has the
distinction of being the fi rst female member of
the ISPRS Council, serving as Treasurer
(1976-1980), and she was chair of the ISPRS
Financial Commission (1980-1984) and
secretary of Commission III (1980-1984 and
1984-1988). Ms Savolainen was recognised
as an Honorary Member of ISPRS in 1988 for
her contributions to photogrammetry and
remains the only woman with this distinctive
honour to this day. The second female
member of the ISPRS Council was Dr
Giovanna Togliatti from Italy. Dr Togliatti was
ISPRS treasurer (1984-1988) and chair of the
ISPRS Financial Commission from 1988 until
her untimely death in 1990. She graduated
with degrees in applied and pure mathematics
from New York University (1953) and Genoa
University (1959), respectively. Dr Togliatti led
the evaluation of the cartographic potential of
metric camera photographs on board the fi rst
European Spacelab Mission carried by the US
Space Shuttle.
Today, women participate at all levels of
ISPRS, from Working Groups to the Council.
For example, Ursa Kanjir (Slovenia) serves as
chair of the ISPRS Student Consortium (SC)
and Sheryl Rose Cay Reyes (Philippines) led
organisation of the 13th SC and WG VI/5
Summer School held this year in the
Philippines. At the Working Group level,
however, only 13% (23 out of 179) of WG
chairs/co-chairs are women. There are 25%
(2 out of 8) women serving as technical
commission presidents (TCPs) this term: Dr
Jie Jiang (China) is the TCP of Commission IV,
Geodatabases and Digital Mapping, and Dr
Filiz Sunar (Turkey) is TCP of Commission VII,
Thematic Processing, Modelling and Analysis
of Remotely Sensed Data. 33% of the Council
(2 out of 6) are women: Dr Marguerite
Madden (USA) is 2nd vice president and Dr
Lena Halounova (Czech Republic) is the
congress director. Considering 13% (27 out of
193) of the total ISPRS offi cers in Working
Groups (chair and co-chairs), Commissions
and the Council are women, there is still room
for improvement in gender balance within
ISPRS. It is hoped that more young women
will enter fi elds of science, technology,
engineering and mathematics (STEM)
worldwide and will fi nd exciting opportunities
for professional activity, recognition and
collaboration within ISPRS.
AGENDAFUTURE EVENTS
| INTERNATIONAL | D EC E M B E R 2 0154242
No
2914
CALENDAR NOTICESPlease send notices at least 3 months before the event date to: Trea Fledderus, marketing assistant, email: [email protected]
For extended information on the shows mentioned on this page, see our website: www.gim-international.com.
DECEMBERMMT2015: THE 9TH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON MOBILE MAPPING TECHNOLOGYSydney, Australia
from 09-11 December
For more information:
W: www.mmt2015.org
2016
JANUARYSKYTECH 2016London, UK
from 27-28 January
For more information:
W: www.skytechevent.com
FEBRUARYTUSEXPOThe Hague, The Netherlands
from 02-04 February
For more information:
W: www.tusexpo.com
15. OLDENBURGER 3D-TAGEOldenburg, Germany
from 03-04 February
For more information:
W: http://bit.ly/1NoX4ox
GIM INTERNATIONAL SUMMITAmsterdam, The Netherlands
from 10-12 February
For more information:
W: www.gimsummit.com
EUROCOW 2016 (EUROPEAN CALIBRATION AND ORIENTATION WORKSHOP)Lausanne, Switzerland
from 10-12 February
For more information:
W: www.eurocow.org
INTERNATIONAL LIDAR MAPPING FORUM 2016Denver, CO, USA
from 22-24 February
For more information:
W: www.lidarmap.org/international
APRILINTEREXPO GEO-SIBERIANovosibirsk, Russia
from 20-22 April
For more information:
W: www.expo-geo.ru
GISTAM 2016Rome, Italy
from 26-27 April
For more information:
W: www.gistam.org
MAYFIG WORKING WEEK 2016Christchurch, New Zealand
from 02-06 May
For more information:
W: www.fig.net/fig2016
GEO BUSINESS 2016London, UK
from 24-25 May
For more information:
W: www.geobusinessshow.com
JULYXXIII ISPRS CONGRESSPrague, Czech Republic
from 12-19 July
For more information:
W: www.isprs2016-prague.com
No
2912
Naamloos-6 1 20-10-15 15:17
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No
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